March 5th 2006: on the 96th anniversary of the international Women’s Day, with close collaboration with the Cambodian garment workers and the Women Network for Unity, WAC organises a gathering of women garment workers, sex workers who are members of the national sex workers union, the WNU, national and international guests. The women workers will take to the stage the role-play that presents the situation of workers after the Multi Fiber Arrangement phased out over one year period. Similarly, the WNU members’ role-play will reflect the impact of the USAID policies that affects the lives of sex workers and how this policy violates the rights of the poor, desperate women. The “Messenger” band, a band of unemployed women workers, will sing the songs on the impacts of privatisation of basic services that are out of the reach of the poor, the violence faced by women and children and call for struggle and solidarity of these affected women.

The conditionality imposed by the World Bank and IMF on Cambodia to privatise, liberalise and deregulate makes the government unable to subsidize its citizen. Moreover, this policy makes the people to be easily falling into debt and it creates social and economic discrimination and intensifies violence against women and children in particular. The lack of employment in the rural areas is the pushing factors for migration to the city and abroad for economic opportunities to support the families that are in the difficult situation.

This International Women’s Day activities will present the solidarity between two vulnerable yet core groups of workers that have made sacrifices to build this country’s economy, directly and indirectly; garment workers and sex workers.