Second Forum on “Media and Social Media participation in Ending Gender Based Violence”

A forum on "Media and Social Media participation in Ending Gender Based Violence" was organized in Phnom Penh on Thursday 30th May, 2013 by Open Institute incollaboration with Ministry of Women's Affairs, the National League of Communes/Sangkats, and other eight NGOs. It was precided over by H.E.M. Sy Define, Secretary of State of Ministry of Women's Affairs.
 
To open this forum, Ms. Chim Manavy, Executive Director of the Open Institute, began by welcoming everyone and announcing the purpose of this forum.She stated that this forum aims to provide an opportunity for discussions about using media particulary social media to help end gender based violence (GBV). More than that this forum was organized for discussing to evaluate Gender Based ViolenceProject. She added that this forum will play a key role in contributing to end gender based violence which still happen in Cambodia Society through promoting participation of media and social media that would be shared widely in this forum.
 
Mr. Pen Samitthy, President of Club of Cambodia Journalist and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Open Institute addressed his interest through his speech that the forum organized by the Open Institute today is very important and also a great opportunity that allows people who from different places to share and to get the knowledge and experiences about how media and social media can play a role in seeing to an end or stop of gender based violence. He would like to encourage everyone to use social media wisely for raising more awareness and attention from people to focus on gender based violence in order to stop/end this hot issue. He also raise his concern about the capacity and ethic code of the journalists and of the bloggers in dealing with gender based violence issues and encouraged to have a guide line for the publication of GBV related issues to make the GBV article more attractive to readers.
 
H.E.M. Sy Define, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Women's Affairs started her speech by welcoming everyone attending the forum and praised the Open Institute. She said that "I am a representative of Ministry of Women's Affair and Secretary of State of this Ministry, I would like to praise and strongly support such a useful forum to happen, because it is really important and play an important function to end/stop gender based violence". She stated that "This is the first and an interesting topic that had never done before". She continue that to end GBV requires both the efforts of the government of Cambodia and the Ministry of Women's Affairs in order to complete all existing policies and regulations so as to promote gender equality and stop any forms of violence related to gender. H.E.M. Sy Define continued that Cambodia Government which has Ministry of Women's Affairs to implement on this issue tries hard to establish priority policy and regulation , law to control gender based violence, protecting the victims, precious women planning, and national implementation plan to control violence on women, ect.
 
There were two main discussions in this forum, first was the discussion on " Law and Policies, Media and Social Media that participate in ending Gender Based Violence". This discussion focused on the strengths and the weaknesses which need to be improved in the existing laws and policies of Cambodia Government in order to control and end any forms of gender based violence, the role/function of media and social media in ending gender based violence, the role of ICT in distributing news and data related to gender and the impact of distributing news widely on this issue, the role of ICT to reinforcement the power of women through giving the knowledge, the changes the women's role in society, strategy to end gender based violence by using ICT and through others means. And the second discussion was about the evaluation of the GBV's project of Open Institute.
 
In order to make this forum more effective and able to attract participants, the forum had invited guest speakers from difference Institutions. Mrs. Sok Sokunthea presented about GBV project that provided capacity amongst women's right organizations, relevant service providers and also awareness of GBV and the method survey to commune councilors for Battambang, Siem Reap, Kompong Thom provinces and Phnom Penh. Mrs. Ket Mardy, Chief of Legal Protection of the Ministry of Women's Affairs, presented about legitimate prevention and National Policy to end gender based violence. Social media, its participation and best practice of social media in ending gender based violence presented by Mrs. Chok Sopheap, Program Director of Cambodia Center for Human Rights-CCHR. Miss. Keo Kounila, independent bloger presented about youth and their using social media in ending gender based violence.
 
Mr. Pen Samitthy, President of Club of Cambodia Journalist and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Open Institute summarized and concluded the forum with the fullness of meaning that using social media and its users are very important and play a key role to promote the women and children's welfare and ending gender based violence especially it will be the important part to promote developing society through using social media in the right way follow virtue, integrity, and righteous. He also added that the GBV project of OI is an important project to end gender based violence in Cambodia. He suggested to any NGOs which tend to use social media for reporting about gender based violence to work closely and cooperate well with all levels of stakeholders in order to make it happen because using social media is a very useful tool for distributing information and if this task will be implemented smoothly, then this will bear much fruit. He stated " I am a journalist, I am happy and waiting to make good cooperation in order to stop/ending gender based violence by using media and social media".
 
Co-organizers of the forum are Heifer International Cambodia, Legal Aid of Cambodia (LAC), Cambodia Defenders Project (CDP), People's Health Development Association PHD), EPACT-Cambodia, Khmer Youth for Social Development (KYSD), The CambodiaNGO-CEDAW, and Girl Guides Association of Cambodia. Please note that this is the the second forum organized by the GBV's project of the OI. The first forum is about "The use of ICT for GBV Prevention" was conducted on March 14, 2013. The second forum on "Media and Social Media participation in ending Gender Based Violence" at Cambodiana Hotel, were participated by 89 participants (Man 35 and Female 54) who came from Ministries, Non-Government Institutions, NGOs, and Commune/Sangkat members in Phnom Penh and in the provinces.
For article in Khmer, please click here: Agenda of the forum Speech of Ms. Chim Manavy Presentation on GBV project Presentation of the MoWA Presentation of Ms. Chak Sopheap Photos of the forum:

Opening section of forum on Media and Socail Media Participation in Ending Gender Based Violence. 1. H.E.M. Sy Define,Secretary of state of Ministry of Women’s Affair. 2. Mr.PenSamitthy, President of the Club of Cambodian Journalists, and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the OI. 3. Mrs. Chim Manavy, Executive Director of Open Institute. Phnom Penh 30 May,2013 Photo by Open Institute.

The whoe picture of forum on Media and Social Media on participation in ending Gender Based Violence. Phnom Penh 30 May,2013 Photo by Open Institute.

Ms. Sok Sokunthea, Project Manager presented about GBV project and its implementations along target areas and also its results. Phnom Penh 30 May,2013 Photo by Open Institute.

Ms. ChakSopheap, Program Director of Cambodia Center for Human Rights (CCHR), Presenting on “What is Social Media? How social media contribute to end Gender-Based Violence?” . Phnom Penh 30 May,2013 Photo by Open Institute.

Miss. Yith Sophorn was raising up her question to Mrs. Keth Mardy, Chief of Legal Protection Department of MoWA. about how to integrate social media to end GBV in The National Action Plan to Prevent VAW. Phnom Penh 30 May,2013 Photo by Open Institute.

Group Discussion on the topic given by Open Institute. Phnom Penh 30 May,2013 Photo by Open Institute.