Social development

Rights group Adhoc recorded 131 rape cases in the first six months of the year, compared to 80 cases in 2014—a nearly 64 percent increase—due to the influence of “uncontrolled foreign cultures” such as pornography, according to a report released by the NGO on Wednesday. ...

Eighty-two Cambodian students have been selected for a scholarship program to continue their master and doctoral degrees at France’s universities in the field of economics, law, medical studies, engineering, French-language teaching and tourism. ...

Sixty-two Cambodian students have gotten annual scholarships for their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in various universities in China, according to Chinese News Agency (Xinhua).​​ ...

While the rate of HIV infections has consistently plummeted among pregnant women, the number of homosexual, bisexual and transgender men with the disease has yet to be curbed by current intervention methods, according to findings revealed in a behavioural study on HIV prevalence, released yesterday. ...

Women representing dozens of civil society groups met yesterday to discuss Prime Minister Hun Sen’s recent use of derogatory language when discussing a female protester accused of injuring a security guard. ...

Police in Koh Kong province on Tuesday prevented about 50 locals from joining a public forum on a controversial sand-dredging operation on the grounds that the group did not live close enough to where the firm is operating to participate. ...

As an environmental NGO held a press conference in Phnom Penh on Monday to present evidence against a company it accuses of illegally extracting sand from an estuary in Koh Kong province, opposition lawmaker Son Chhay called on Prime Minister Hun Sen to order an ...

Russian serial pedophile Stanislav Molodyakov—who preyed on Cambodian street children for years before he was deported to his home country in 2012—has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for raping dozens of schoolgirls, according to Russian media. ...

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s public use of derogatory terms when discussing an unnamed woman accused of injuring a security guard after allegedly kicking him prompted rebukes from rights groups in the country on Monday. ...

The Ministry of Land Management has again accused rights group Licadho of spreading false data that shows that the number of families embroiled in new or intensifying land disputes jumped threefold last year. ...

Scores of marijuana plants were seized by police in Kampong Speu province’s Phnom Sruoch district on Saturday morning. ...

It used to be a common sight in Phnom Penh – a child wandering on a street with a needle in his hand, followed by a parent holding a bag of IV fluid. ...

Twelve Montagnards were voluntarily repatriated to Vietnam on Friday through a Ratanakkiri province border checkpoint after being cheated by a broker who promised them jobs in Thailand, according to officials.​ ...

The Ministry of Social Affairs has completed drafting a law on juvenile justice that will soon be moved forward for approval and debate at the legislature. The new law, as drafted, aims to provide rehabilitation opportunities for juveniles, rather than simple prison sentences, and meets ...

Victims of sexual violence can often have difficulty reintegrating into society, but experts say the healing process from such assault can be a lifelong struggle. ...

A group of 26 local NGOs submitted a letter to King Norodom Sihamoni on Thursday calling on him to refuse to sign off on a controversial law regulating non-governmental groups in the country. ...

The government says that it is increasing its efforts to clamp down against counterfeit drugs in Cambodia.Speaking at a Pharmaceutical and Medical Expo yesterday in Phnom Penh, Nov Phalla, deputy director at the Department of Drugs and Food at the Ministry of Health said the ...

Citing an uptick in drug cases and a lack of manpower in some provinces, the National Police yesterday announced they will be transferring scores of officers to positions in anti-drug units. ...

A group of opposition lawmakers has urged the Constitutional Council to amend a contentious law on regulating NGOs in the country. Prum Nhean Vicheth, a spokesman for the Constitutional Council, confirmed receipt of the petition and said the Council will be considering the draft law ...

Speech therapy is slowly gaining ground in Cambodia. That’s good news for children like Lin, 14, who lives in Siem Reap province and in the past has hardly said a word to anyone, including his family. He has had some speech therapy, however, and on ...

Authorities in Kampong Chhnang took down two Vietnamese religious statues on Tuesday that had appeared overnight, after it was discovered their base was made of bricks allegedly stolen from two ancient temples. ...

Dr. Thearith helps thousands of women in Kampong Chhnang province care for their babies. He provides them with advice about how to breastfeed, how to keep their infants from contracting malaria, and how to avoid infections. ...

The opposition is expected today to lodge a constitutional challenge to the controversial law on associations and non-governmental organisations (LANGO) in a last-ditch effort to stop the legislation before it’s signed by the King. ...

Dengue fever can kill. But like the mosquitoes that carry the disease, the number of cases of dengue each year can be difficult to count. One thing is certain: the number of cases in Cambodia goes massively underreported every year. ...