An Overview of Cambodian Women Working in Garment Industry

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Mukesh Kumar Khatwani
Parveen Shah

Abstract

Cambodia, a small and post –conflict nation has emerged from civil war in 1998. With the establishment of democratic government after ostensible end to conflict in 1993, foreign investors from Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan started to invest in garment sector in Cambodia. Trade agreement between US and Cambodia in 1999 paved a smooth path to expansion and development of garment industry. Garment industry has helped the country to reduce poverty and empower women by providing them with access to employment opportunities. Currently, it is only garment sector where 90 percent workers are young rural women who are the breadwinner of their families. This paper attempts to present an overview of once rapidly growing and now downing because of recent global financial crisis, garment industry of Cambodia, which employs half of total Cambodian work force and has also been the source of livelihood of most of the rural poorly educated women. Through this paper it has also been tried to highlight the internal environment conditions of garment industry and the facilities available to workers and also the problems they are facing.

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