Addressing gender-based barriers to support women’s participation in community forestry in Cambodia

Gender inequality shapes access to and control over natural resources, impacting how communities manage and benefit from their environments. In Cambodia, this imbalance can manifest through gender-based violence (GBV). GBV in natural resource management (NRM) restricts women’s participation in decision-making within community protected areas (CPAs) and community forests (CFs).

The Rise Up! project is working to tackle GBV through carefully designed activities in Pursat and Kampong Chhnang provinces. These activities aim to address barriers and create opportunities for women to lead in environmental conservation. Since its initiation in early 2023, the project has conducted a baseline assessment to understand community needs and the prevailing gender gap, and delivered training aimed at addressing gender-based violence. It is also working on community mobilization, environmental protection, feminist advocacy and conflict resolution. Rise Up! has also provided mentoring, organized awareness campaigns and men’s dialogue. To ensuring lasting impact, it has set up a grievance redress mechanism and conducted field monitoring.

Engaging 40 CF and CPA members across eight sites, the project has also established multi-sectoral coordination and learning platforms. These offer valuable opportunities to share expertise and collaborate on effective strategies for addressing GBV barriers within the context of environmental and natural resource management.

Specifically, we have been working through:

Men’s dialogue sessions. Conducted across the eight target communities, these sessions encourage behavioural change among men. They provide a space for open discussion on gender-related issues and help men understand the need to actively support household responsibilities.

Campaign activities. Our campaigns enable communities to lead and actively participate, encouraging the sharing and dissemination of personal stories. Personal stories shared through campaigns have connected with community members, leading to more active participation. More people are now involved in patrolling.

Training programmes. Across both provinces, a series of training sessions have resulted in improved community knowledge on conflict resolution, institutional strengthening, gender roles and the connection between gender and NRM. These trainings have helped empower participants to resolve conflicts more effectively at the community level, reducing the need for formal judicial processes and promoting more inclusive NRM.

Changing perspectives and emerging transformations

After close to two years of implementation, changes at the community level are becoming more evident. Chhoun Srouch, from Preythom Anlong Tmor community protected area, recalls the fear and resistance she faced when she first joined community forest management activities. “A neighbour warned me: A woman like you might be noticed and harmed by someone committing illegal activities in the forest,” she says.

“I was initially afraid, but knowing the patrolling team included both men and women made me feel safer. My husband wasn’t supportive at first, but after attending men’s dialogue sessions and learning about the project’s goals, he understood the importance of environmental protection and women’s roles in it.”

Srouch’s experience touches upon a key aspect of the work Rise Up! is doing to shift men’s perspectives regarding women’s roles in NRM. The men’s dialogues encourage male community members to reconsider traditional gender roles, helping garner their support for women’s participation in community activities.

“Before, I would usually leave for work without thinking about housework. Now, I’ve realized how much time and energy women put into household tasks. It’s important to recognize, understand and share responsibility for housework,” says Korng Ry, a participant of these dialogues and deputy chief of Phnom Cherng Leang community protected area. He adds, “Men in the community should acknowledge women’s work. Sharing responsibilities can reduce conflicts and gender-based violence within our families and community.”

Another men’s dialogue participant, Sours Yong, is a member of the Steung Ksach Sor community forest. He says, “I've noticed a lot of change in myself – my behaviour, words and perspectives on household chores. I'm trying to teach my son about taking responsibility for housework and am seeing positive changes in how he behaves.”

Rise Up! is working to ensure such progress retains momentum. And while developments are being made, more work is also needed. “I believe that women's participation in forest activities remains limited,” says Srouch. “For women’s participation to truly flourish, it requires collective efforts from both women and men.”

Bridging the gender gap

Despite progress and policies supporting women’s participation in environmental and climate action, cultural norms and family expectations continue to pose significant barriers. Any engagement outside the confines of the household is met with challenges, even resistance.

Art Sophy is a member of Koh Tonlea Kras community protected area. She speaks of the shift in perceptions since Rise Up! engagement began. "My husband didn’t use to allow me to go anywhere because of jealousy,” she says. “The first time I joined the training, it was very challenging. I had to keep my husband updated with photos. When I returned from the training, I shared what I had learned with him. Eventually, his mindset changed and he agreed to my attending future training sessions. Now, he is also involved in community activities.”

Sophy says that conflicts within the family have also reduced as members have begun to share responsibility for housework and enhancing family livelihoods. “We help each other now, rather than relying on one person to do everything alone,” she says. “As for my involvement in the community, my husband didn’t support me at first, but I explained that I wanted to step out of my comfort zone.”

Addressing gender-based violence at the community level

"Raising awareness about gender-based violence has extended from the personal to the community level,” says Svay Nem, chief of Prey Thom Anlong Thmor community protected area. As community chief, I often used to speak harshly, not realizing how much my words could affect people’s emotions,” he adds. “After attending the training and the men’s dialogue, I learned about different types of gender-based violence and now strive to use more positive language.”

Some community focal points, such as village guards and deputy chiefs, play a key role in addressing violent cases within the villages. Nem says that they have applied the knowledge and skills gained from training to help resolve conflicts and violence in their communities. So far, community focal points have successfully addressed three cases of family violence and sexual harassment in collaboration with local authorities.

For Nem and others like him, the involvement with Rise Up! has helped improve community engagement. “I have better leadership skills now. I’m communicating and working more effectively with the community and committee members now,” he says. “Rise-Up! has created a safe and dignified space for women to participate in patrols and in the CPA management committee, promoting their leadership.”

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Chansreyleak Onn Leak is project officer at RECOFTC Cambodia.

About Rise Up!

The Rise Up! initiative is managed by RECOFTC in partnership with Gender and Development for Cambodia (GADC). It is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and managed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) under the Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Environments (RISE) grant challenge. The project runs from January 2023 to March 2025, working towards empowering women and fostering gender equality by addressing gender-based violence barriers/challenges in community-based conservation efforts.

RECOFTC’s work is made possible with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Government of Sweden.