abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb
Article

4 Jul 2020

Author:
Davin Sen, Khmer Times

Cambodia: Ministry of Labour says a survey methodology of three CSOs to produce a report on workers' inability to repay debt during COVID-19 is questionable

"Questioned: Survey which finds indebted workers’ suffering worsened by pandemic lay-offs", 01 July 2020

A survey, the methodology and accuracy of which has been questioned by the Ministry of Labour and conducted by two NGOs and a union has found that tens of thousands of garment workers in Cambodia are struggling to repay microfinance debts following work stoppages and factory suspensions caused by COVID-19.

The survey was conducted by Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions, the Center for Alliance of Labour and Human Rights and the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights ...

The survey showed that for years, a poor living wage has forced workers to take on more and more debts to survive, adding that most of the loans taken out were borrowed from MFIs and collateralised with family land titles...

CATU president Yang Sophorn said that garment workers have worked tirelessly to provide food for their families. “Now they can barely afford to feed themselves.”...

... The NGOs and union representatives have called for immediate debt relief programmes from both MFIs and international investors who have offered out hundreds of millions of dollars, burdening Cambodians with towering debts.

... Central programme manager Khun Tharo said the fact that so many workers have taken on this level of debt just to cover their cost of living is alarming.

“Getting deeper into debt is just going to hurt those who’ve already been hit hardest by this crisis,” he said...

Ministry of Labour spokesman Heng Sour said ... that he has not seen the survey and was not informed on the method of research behind the report...

Timeline

Privacy information

This site uses cookies and other web storage technologies. You can set your privacy choices below. Changes will take effect immediately.

For more information on our use of web storage, please refer to our Data Usage and Cookies Policy

Strictly necessary storage

ON
OFF

Necessary storage enables core site functionality. This site cannot function without it, so it can only be disabled by changing settings in your browser.

Analytics cookie

ON
OFF

When you access our website we use Google Analytics to collect information on your visit. Accepting this cookie will allow us to understand more details about your journey, and improve how we surface information. All analytics information is anonymous and we do not use it to identify you. Google provides a Google Analytics opt-out add on for all popular browsers.

Promotional cookies

ON
OFF

We share news and updates on business and human rights through third party platforms, including social media and search engines. These cookies help us to understand the performance of these promotions.

Your privacy choices for this site

This site uses cookies and other web storage technologies to enhance your experience beyond necessary core functionality.