Urban poor women often lead the way towards the realisation of land and housing rights for their communities. However, they face many challenges each day, as poor people, mothers, wives, grandmas, workers and students, largely because they are women. This research attempts to uncover some of the issues that everyday urban poor women face in their lives. The report finishes with recommendations that are taken from the women themselves.
Interviews were conducted with eight urban poor women, all of whom live in poor communities that face the threat of eviction. Some women said their environment was part of the reason for their poor health, and others noted it was because of their role as mothers and money-keepers, which led to them putting the health concerns of others before their own.
The women reported abuse by their husbands, neglect from authorities, and discrimination from the wider Phnom Penh community, but overwhelmingly placed their fear of eviction as their biggest challenge. The women continued to feel pride in their communities even when their communities contribute to their poor health through lack of sanitation and regular flooding. All women had a strong belief in their rights as humans to adequate housing and land tenure security. When asked to take pictures of the benefits and problems in their lives, the women mostly took pictures of challenges in their community, rarely finding places of beauty within their communities that they sought to showcase in this research.
You can download the reports as PDF files here! Khmer – English
Contact for more information:
Mr. Soeung Saran, Executive Director of Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT)
Email: director@teangtnaut.org
Tel: 089 666 013
Mr. Isaac Daniels, Program Adviser of Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT)
E-mail: advisor1@teangtnaut.org