His Excellency
Mr Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
No. 38, Russian Federation Street
Phnom Penh
Königreich  KAMBODSCHA
Fax:   00855 - 23 - 360 666    
       (Wenn sich jemand meldet, sagen Sie bitte: "Fax please!")



Your Excellency,


I am writing in support of the

      hundreds of women and girls

of Cambodia who face rape or sexual violence each year.

I welcome your government's commitment to respect human rights by signing up to major international human rights instruments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

However, I encourage you to continue to show strong leadership by publicly condemning rape and other forms of sexual violence and ensuring that your government actively respects, protects and promotes the right to freedom from discrimination and violence for the women and girls of your country. The welcome introduction of a new Penal Code in late 2010 is an opportunity for your government to firmly address inadequate law enforcement in cases of suspected rape, and ensure that perpetrators are punished. To complement this law reform, I urge your government to amend policies and plans of action to explicitly prevent, adequately investigate and punish sexual violence against women and girls, and ensure that the relevant authorities, including courts, make it clear that rape is a crime and will not be tolerated. In addition, I urge your government to do its utmost to provide vital medical and psychological services free of charge for survivors of rape.

I encourage Your Excellency to attend to these matters urgently and appreciate your attention to my concerns.


Sincerely,