By Por Malis & Kong Rathana
The Men Engagement to Stop Violence Against Women (MESVAW) project is an extracurricular activity for students. The project aim at training trainers to help raise awareness and understanding of gender issues affecting our society. The project provides training focused on genderrelated matters on life skills, create a peer networking group, and a friends-help-friends network. After the completion of the train-the-trainer program, new trainees are expected to use and disseminate information on gender and to help raise gender awareness in their schools and communities across Cambodia. The program intends to raise awareness and understanding and help reduce gender-based violence in our society.
Representatives from the University of Cambodia Ms. Por Malis (Vice President for Operations) and Ms. Kong Rathana (University Registrar) signed a memorandum of understanding with Mr. Ou Rattanak (Executive Director of People Health Development Association). The agreement aims to help carryout a three year project to reduce gender-based violence against women and reduce sexual harassment through raising awareness of gender issues. The project intends to increase youth’s involvement on the fight against gender-based violence through educational activities and the dissemination of women’s rights information to stop all kinds of violence against women.
The gender project is the continuation from the first phase of 2010-2013 program. The current project, which started in December 2013, will conclude on November 2016. The project is funded by the UN Trust Fund and establishes various partnerships among People Health Development Association, Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Ministry of Education Youth and Sports, Department of Health Education, CARE International in Cambodia, six universities (University of Cambodia, Pannasastra University of Cambodia, Build Bright University, Phnom Penh International University, Cambodia University of Specialist, and Panha Cheat University), and four high schools (Bak Touk, Hun Sen Chak Angre, Indarak Tevi, Rossuey Keo) helping to reduce gender-based violence in our society.
