Domestic Violence Against Women, Cambodia
Training Workshop on Safety Issues and Legal Strategies for
Empowering Battered Women (USD50,000)

Since October 1997, the UNIFEM Trust Fund has supported the Women's Legal Resource Centre, which is the training branch of the Women's Litigation Unit of the Cambodian Defenders Project. Overall, the project is concerned with human rights advocacy, litigation and training. The Women's Litigation Unit provides the only service in Cambodia for the legal representation in court of women victims of domestic violence.

The Legal Resource Centre has developed a training curriculum on international and Cambodian laws related to domestic violence, and is conducting workshops for law advocates, members of women's organizations providing assistance to battered women, judges, law enforcement officers and court personnel, modifying the curriculum for the different target groups.

Through these training workshops, the Centre is developing a network of committed and trained advocates within major women's organizations. The network members are linking their services to assist individuals address the legal, economic and psychological hurdles that battered women face.

The material developed for the training workshops is being adapted to produce information brochures on women's legal rights and the availability of legal services. The brochures will be distributed to major NGOs and government agencies.

Dated: 23 Mar 1998