Stitched Under Strain
The research finding from the survey of 308 garment workers, 65% of whom were women, consisting of interviews conducted by CATU and CCAWDU field organisers between December 2022 and January 2023, a series of focus group discussions with previously surveyed workers and union representatives to validate key findings and follow-up inquiries, and a desk review of factory-issued payslips, shipping and export data, and all relevant and existing literature.
Organizing Unit
Organizing Unit is tasked with training independent labor activists, union leaders, and Cambodian working people in Cambodian labor law and the fundamental rights they are legally entitled to. Their overall strategic goal is to contribute to stronger
Protection Unit
Despite the development and growth of the labor sector in Cambodia, it is still characterized by low wages for workers compared to other countries in the region. The $204 minimum wage demonstrates the chronic problem of unparalleled minimum wages and further
Media ICT Unit
Unit Objective: The objective of this unit is to increase acknowledgement of labor, migration and human rights issues and the need for reform locally and internationally. Key Interventions: Promote Worker’s Messages and Voices to duty bearers by producing media talk shows, online campaigns, educational materials and other digital tools for public education. Capacity development on digital security training provided to cross-cutting workers and network on digital security and citizen journalism as well as builds solidarity networks to support and facilitate communication. The situation of freedom of expression in Cambodia is concerning. Lack of freedom of information and expression limits the capacity and means of citizens to raise their voices widely to duty bearers and stakeholders. The issues around the media, information, and the digital landscape in Cambodia have a multifaceted impact on the population, especially workers and civil society actors. With the rapid acceleration of global digital transformation and innovation, the number of Facebook users in Cambodia has risen to 13 863 800 users in May 2024, accounting for 77.3% of the entire population. Social media users now access news primarily via Facebook, the most popular platform in Cambodia. Most workers in Cambodia and abroad use it for daily communication. One of the main challenges facing Cambodian workers is digital literacy. Many pay an agent to set up their social media and email accounts. They lack the knowledge to secure their online communications and personal information, and to ward against online scams, leading to frequent loss of social media accounts and exposure to online threats. Additionally, workers often lack the courage to report violations when employers breach labor laws; they are uncertain about how to document and publicize such incidents. Therefore, they require more training on reporting procedures and how to capture quality photos and videos. The use of ICT here is invaluable, enabling them to promptly seek intervention with proper evidence to fall back on. Since 2017, CENTRAL has trained thousands of union leaders, key workers, grassroots community, and youth (~60% female) on ICT/digital security training, and citizen journalism skills. This training has been crucial in protecting unions, workers and their networks online.
Anti-Human Trafficking and Migration
There are no less than 3 million Cambodian migrant workers - documented and undocumented - currently working abroad in Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and other countries. The majority of Cambodian migrant workers work in 3D (“Difficult, Dirty, and Dangerous”) jobs
Joint Statement: New Prakas Lacks Consultation, Further Restricts Media Freedom
Joint StatementNew Prakas Lacks Consultation, Further Restricts Media FreedomPhnom Penh, 15 December 2025 We, the undersigned media and civil society organisations, are dismayed by the Ministry of Information’s new Prakas on “Qualifications and Journalistic Professionalism,” issued on 27 November 2025, alongside the recent changes to press card requireme...
Working News
Govt Temporarily Remediates Color Star Workers’ Two-Day Strike After Factory Announces Sudden Relocation
About 500 workers of Color Star Cambodia Product Co Ltd in Prek Chrey village, Phnom Penh protested and bl...
Unions, Workers Call for Better Labor Rights, Higher Wage Amid Labor Day Celebration
Source: Camboja Demands for a better minimum wage and work conditions for skilled labor and informal work...
Five Unionists Reinstated After Buyers Intervene, Others Await Solution
Five unionists from the Federation Union of Free and Independent (FUFI) were reinstated at a garment facto...