Not surprisingly, Santry’s (2005) field observations indicated that “the position of rural women in the early 1990s was considerably worse than it was in the 1960s.” This situation was directly linked to “the destruction wrought under the Khmer Rouge” and the devastation of the countryside due to heavy mining and deforestation during the Vietnamese occupation. (110) LICADHO (2004) also noted the destruction of educational facilities as pivotal in worsening of women's conditions in Cambodia, especially in the countryside (26).
Santry cautiously connected the experiences (e.g., witnessing and participating in violence) and roles (e.g., spying on family members) of youth during the Khmer Rouge regime with the widespread “ignorance of traditional ideals of respect, speech and good behaviour” that characterized her observations in the 1990s. This ‘ignorance’ included the denigration of women (as victims and sex-objects) in the media, as well as reviving “traditional proverbs and folk stories denigrating women.” (2005: 116)
LICADHO (2006) summarized the effects of the recent violent history of Cambodia:
Three decades of civil war and political and economic upheaval has had a major impact on the lives, status and roles of both women and men within the household as well as society as a whole. Significant and widespread loss of human life during the Khmer Rouge regime seriously eroded the material, cultural and emotional foundations of both families and communities. There are now fewer support systems than exist in traditional extended familes or in the community, to help poor families or those with problems. (15)
