[FIRST PERSON] The women left behind

'Branded as the Friday Women of Cambodia, wives, and mothers with no weapons, holding signs, wearing their husbands' t-shirts, picket courts and embassies, even if they face arrest and violence'.

Cambodia has been described as the “land of the widows.” Decades of war and political oppression have left many women with no choice but to be head of the household, as their husbands have been either killed or put behind bars.

I am one of the lucky ones. My husband died of natural causes. But the pain of being a widow becomes much worse now that I am living in exile and cannot visit the final resting place of my husband.

Being in exile is like when your loved ones are taken away from you in the most unjust way. It is not a choice – it is forced upon you. Much like what many Cambodian widows go through.

In full: https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/first-person-friday-women-cambodia-left-behind/

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