UN Analysis Final.pdf - United Nations in Cambodia

they migrate for work. Many youths reported that it is essential for them to work to reduce the vulnerability of
their individual families. These issues were frequently reflected in focus group comments:
When we were in school we had high hopes that in the near future we would find a very good job with good
pay because of our precious knowledge. But now everything has changed because we had to leave school
and come to work here to help our parents and family... – FGD with female youth 20-24, Poi Pet, Banteay
Meanchey
We are not happy that we did not have a chance to stay long in school. It is difficult for those who have
little knowledge to make money. For example, if we cannot read or write we cannot work in jobs such as in
garment factories; we totally lose hope and do not know what else to do besides rice farming and selling our
labour… – FGD with female youth 20-24, Cheung Kor village, Sihanoukville
Girls’ Employment: According to the 2001 CLS, 87 per cent of girls aged 15-17 were working at the time of
the survey, compared to 81 per cent of boys (Understanding Children’s Work, 2006). From age 12, household
work is significantly more likely to interfere with girls’ education than boys’. Children who work more than
14 hours a week – who are more likely to be poor, rural and female – start to fall behind in grade attainment
compared to their peers who only attend school (Ragatz 2005).
Discussions across the six study provinces among youth aged 15-19 and 20-24 years yielded similar and
consistent responses to the effect that females were more likely to be engaged in both productive and
domestic work than the males. They strongly argued that girls seem to have more demanding work than
the boys. The burden of housework and productive work is a particular problem for rural households.
In principle, men and women have equal rights to education; but families hardly decide in favour of their
daughter’s education when school is far away from home… Many households here are still poor and both
men and women have to work... the young women need to work hard to sustain the livelihood of the family...
– FGD with mothers’ group, Ratanakiri
We really want to pursue our education just like other girls from rich families, but it seems totally impossible
since our family is very poor and need our support in making money. We at least have to help our family
with housework such as caring for our little brother or sister or looking after the animals…those who have
a good education can find a good job in garment factories in Phnom Penh…It is difficult for us even to go to
search for work since we can hardly read or write… – FGD with female youth (age 20-24), Sangke Village,
Svay Rieng
Field observations also suggest that young women drop out of school to migrate for work to supplement
family income. Many young people and youths seek employment in urban Poipet. Information gathered
reveals, however, that only a small proportion of them get decent jobs, while large numbers work under
difficult and vulnerable conditions.
To reduce the direct costs of education and to mitigate the loss of income due to time spent at school, MoEYS
has launched a significant initiative to provide targeted ‘scholarships’ to encourage poor children – particularly
girls – to remain in school (Box 4-5).
Situation Analysis of Youth in Cambodia
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