Organizations work hard to end violence against LGBT in Cambodia

Phnom Penh/Cambodia – Cambodia is a very traditional society where 81% of
LGBT people are victims of domestic violence once people figure out that they go
against their norms and traditions.
The families cannot accept the sexuality and lifestyle choice of their LGBT
children and often force them out of the family, or put pressure on them, such as
depriving them of school fees or forcibly marrying them off to people they do not
like.
According to some books of life in the middle ages, the roots of the problem date
back to a long time, where most families believe that their children’s passion is not
natural.
Some even think that it is related to their diet containing chemicals that cause such
feelings.
The MIRF organization is working hard to bring awareness of domestic abuse and
give a helping hand to LGBT individuals with the daily issues they encounter.

Koy Keo Sophorn, a girl who discovered she was a lesbian in high school,
described the suffering and violence she faced when she decided to inform her
family, saying that they beat her up very hard which causes big bruises and injuries
in her body.
“I felt very down. It affected my mental health. So, I left my family’s house to live
with my partner,” she added.
Chhoeurng Rachana, an activist, underlined that LGBTQ’s are naturally born like
this, in contrast to people’s convictions, it is not a thing they learn to develop,
adding that it is an ancient issue people discovered hundreds of years ago.

Every year, Cambodia celebrates the 16 days campaign against gender-based
violence including that against LGBTQ individuals, according to Kuy Thida, a Co-
founder of Loveisdiversity.

“A research by the Rainbow community in 2019 found that 35% of women who
love women (lesbian) tried to commit suicide and 81% received violence from the
family,” she added.