The Cambodian human rights group LICADHO, along with thirteen other civil society organisations, has urged the government to swiftly amend the Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of Victims. They argue that the current legislation, first passed in 2005, lacks the necessary protection mechanisms and has not kept pace with the needs of victims today.
In a statement released on June 17, LICADHO warned that delays in amending the law risk further endangering victims, most of whom are women, children and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The statement emphasized that in the eight years since reform efforts were first initiated, there has been no adequate protection or effective response mechanism in place. The existing law, it said, remains incomplete and insufficient, while reports of violence and abuse against women and children continue at alarming levels.
Between 2020 and 2024, LICADHO recorded approximately 342 cases of domestic violence in the northwestern provinces of Battambang and Siem Reap alone. According to the group, victims were often pressured by authorities, families and community leaders to stay silent or resolve cases through traditional family values, rather than seeking safety or justice.
In 2024, LICADHO documented 139 cases of domestic violence, including 23 victims who were killed. The organisation noted that in most cases, the violence was committed by intimate partners or other members of the household.
Despite three rounds of legal review over the years, LICADHO said the government has yet to publicly release a roadmap outlining its proposed legal reforms. The group is now calling for the urgent publication of this roadmap and for full adoption of the revised legislation.
At the end of 2024, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs announced the formation of a technical working group to review specific provisions of the law. This group has since developed a draft roadmap to revise the 2005 law, which aims to improve protection for victims and address a range of abuses, including threats to life, physical harm, torture and sexual violence committed within families.
For now, rights groups say victims remain vulnerable, and without a clear path forward, the law meant to protect them continues to fall short.
