Our campaign and this website refer to fair
labour practices. It is not
affiliated with the Fairtrade certification mark (see www.fairtrade.net),
which applies to fair price.
Many "beer promotion
women" in
Cambodia may die
on the job unnecessarily within the next 2 years: 20% are HIV/AIDS
sero-positive but cannot afford life-saving medications. How can we
urge international breweries to take urgent steps to save the lives of
these women? This website hopes to publicize proactive efforts by
companies towards ourfair
trade
standard.
Beer-sellers in Cambodia face violence, forced sex,
HIV/AIDS,
alcohol risks, no health-care provision and mortality; why are they not
being cared for? read
more
Announcing 2015 Cambodia Internships.
Join SiRCHESI staff and Prof. Ian Lubek in Siem Reap for 17-day supervised intensive research and health promotion experience. Registration is first come, first serve with a US$250 non-refundable deposit. 3 places remain for February and 4 for August 2015. APPLY for an internship NOW!
Download the 2015-brochure(pdf-file,5.5MB)
SiRCHESI working to improve things better for
beer-sellers? SiRCHESI
are working to encourage breweries to put into practice their Fair
Trade Standard detailed below
(4).
Evidence driven "living Wages" ($208 monthly in
2009) - sufficient to feed family
- would add an additional annual cost of $1500 to each beer seller's
salary.
This would remove the necessity of a second job, which for
illiterate women, often means accepting occasional propositions to
exchange money for sex, sometimes after drinking with a client to reach
a sales quota.
Free HAART (high active antiretroviral therapy) for
beer
sellers and infected families (estimated cost $110-330 per person per
year).
Recognition by International Brewers and local
distributors that women beer sellers are "workers" under Cambodian
Labour Code and are elligible for all international company benefits
and local labour rights.
Behaviour-changing health education about alcohol,
AIDS,
reproductive health, workplace behaviours prior to start of work, and
continuous updates
February 2014 Cambodian garment workers are confronted with similar issues as beersellers. Read about the fight of garment workers for fair wages in this article.
27
Aug 2012 Danish
brewer Carlsberg has vowed to improve working conditions for Cambodian
beer promoters. Read article in the
Phnom Penh Post (pdf, 224Kb)
27
Aug 2012 Danish
brewer Carlsberg has vowed to improve working conditions for Cambodian
beer promoters. Read article in the
Phnom Penh Post (pdf, 224Kb)
22 Aug 2012Statistics
show job risks for beer promoters
an article
in the Phnom Penh Post reveals.
Aug 2012
SOMO releases an independent
report on beer-sellers in Cambodia
13
March 2012
"Cambrew continues to fire its female workers without legal cause for
simply standing up for their rights" Michelle Tolson's follows up on
the beer sellers strike. Read her article online at www.thewip.net
and
also, a report
in Khmer (pdf) in the Phnom Penh Post.
Jan 2012. Intensive Internships in
CambodiaApply
for supervised internships in Siem Reap Cambodia in 2012. 2 weeks
(extendable) of intensive field work in HIV/AIDS prevention, alcohol
and violence reduction workshops, anti-trafficking programs,
reproductive health community outreach with peer-educators, as well as
rounds/visits in local hospitals and health centres, VCCT clinic, HAART
provision.
more info & how to apply (pdf 3mb).
Aug
2011 Beer Sellers Take Action in Cambodia
Local newspaper stories cover the beer-sellers strike in Cambodia: from
protest outside Cambrew Headquarters in Phnom Penh to campaigns to
Carlsberg and the Deputy Governor intervention with a commitment to
paying overtime. Read
press coverage See
photos of the protest
On 5 Aug the Beer Sellers Union CSFWF
contact beer sellers about the temporary ending of the strike.
Read letter (rtf)
On
18 Aug it is reported that Cambrew has agreed to pay Angkor beer
sellers overtime (US$2) for working on Sundays. Read
article (pdf)
In March 2011 the independent
and non-commercial Belgian newssite
De Wereld Morgen published an article on the Cambodian
beergirls,
written by Hilde van Regenmortel, an Oxfam regional casemanager for
Asia. The focus on the article is on the activities of the Cambodian
trade unions (see elsewhere on this website). Read the original article
through this
link - for translations in other languages please use the
available (online) software, for instance Google translate.
22 Dec 2010
SiRCHESI continues to work towards reducing workplace risks for beer
sellers in Cambodia
Read SiRCHESI 2011 newsletter to find out about all
the positive work SiRCHESI is doing for beer sellers in Siem Reap.
To continue this important work SiRCHESI URGENTLY NEEDS
FUNDING. Read a letter
from Ian Lubek detailing what a difference your donation can make for
beer sellers in Cambodia. (International adviser to SiRCHESI).
Please give a donation now!
9 Aug 2010
Beer-sellers and hostesses form a Workers Union in Siem Reap Read more
April
26 2010 Press
release
Canadian and Cambodian researchers find beer industry response
ineffective: "Toxic" workplace conditions still exist in 2009-10 for
women selling all major brands of beer and spirits in Cambodia
Read press release
April
2010
Health,safety and security for Cambodian women beer sellers were
substandard
in 2009: Urgent actions are still required by all major brewers
(AB/INBEV, Carlsberg, HEINEKEN/ Asia Pacific Breweries, SAB/Miller,
Guinness, San Miguel, Bavaria, Asahi, etc.)
Read report by Michelle Green & Ian Lubek (pdf)
Brewers & Brands proactively
achieving our Fair trade Standard in Cambodia for their
beer-sellers