Author Archives: khmeryouth

Life of Sokleang a maid worked in Malaysia

This is a sad story of a Cambodian maid worked in Malaysia. In general, Cambodians don’t know the situation and life style of Malaysian people. Many of them think that people of Malaysia are rich and can give them a lot of money. In reality, the living standard and life style might be not in what they are dreaming. This story of Sokleang is heartbreaking and regretful. We wish her recover from her mental problem soon. Thanks to all sympathetic people towards her.

On behalf of her family, we would like to express our sincerest thanks to all individuals, media and authorities who assisted in bringing Phat Sokleang back to her family. Sokleang left her home on the morning of Monday, August 27, 2012 and disappeared for two days. She was found in Tuol Krosang Pagoda, located in Sen Sok District, Phnom Penh on Wednesday afternoon, August 29, 2012. Sokleang is now at home safely in Kamong Siem District, Kampong Cham Province.

As a victim of labor trafficking, Sokleang is not in a proper mental state. She was a normal girl before working as a maid in Malaysia in 2005. Sokleang was 15 years old when she was recruited for domestic work. After only 4 months of employment she returned to Cambodia with horrific mental trauma that has ruled her life for the last 7 years. Barely able to speak or eat and refusing to wear clothes she was tied to her family home for her own safety. After locating her in 2011, CLEC has been helping her family to provide proper medical treatment and rehabilitation. 7 years on, she is receiving treatment from psychological doctors. Sokleang was only one of an estimated 50,000 Cambodian maids in Malaysia.

Visit our website: www.clec.org.kh

Annual seminar on “Education Health and Career of the Youth” on 20 May 2012

Sophoan and Vichet have organized the annual Seminar of the KCY-AA on 20 May 2012. There were many guest speakers and participants were presenting there. The theme for this year is about “Education, Health and Career of the Youth”. But while we were unfortunate to get response from the speakers who are specializing on Health and Career, we were fortunate to have many speakers who were great at Education for youth especially in the field of Conflict Resolution, Initiative for Change, Youths at the Front Line and Open Society for Youths etc.

As the result, we can summarize the seminar into three categories:

– What is the actual independence for a country for youth? – The answer is depending on the individual youth who must pursue their own independence first before exploring independence of others and the nation.

– What is the actual drive of power in the developing countries? – The answer is referring to three Khmer words “ខ្លៅ=Klao, ឃ្លាន=Klien and ខ្លាច=Klach” or “អវិជ្ជា=no education, អត់អាហារ=hunger and ភ័យខ្លាច=fear”. The speakers concluded that in developing countries, leaders have defused these three elements to prolong their power. Among those is to frighten their citizens (objects) to carry out the politics of threatening and control, for instance in Sudan and Cambodia.

– Last but not least, what is the meaning of multiculturalism? – The answer gave us example on the historical foe between two races: Cambodian & Vietnamese. The example on the conversation between Cambodian youth and Vietnamese youth shed us light on how to explore both ends on racist slur – the answer is to open conversation and interaction.

Please, watch this video for more educational speech on this year Seminar.

Thank you very much for your kind participation and wisdom sharing.

Organizers!