About US

1. Introduction

The Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) was founded by a group of former political prisoners in December 1991, after the signing of the Paris Peace Agreements on 23 October 1991. ADHOC is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit and non-governmental organization. For more than 25 years, ADHOC has worked to address the absence of basic rights, freedoms and liberties in Cambodia by providing people with knowledge and understanding of human rights, law and democracy, and how to defend their rights and freedoms. ADHOC’s goals include assisting victims of abuses in their quest for justice, strengthening the capacity of ordinary citizens to claim their rights, and encouraging citizens to lobby and advocate for improvement of laws, institutions and law implementation. ADHOC is comprised of three sections, including the Human Rights and Legal Aid Section, the Women’s and Children’s Rights Section and the Land and Natural Resources Section.

This report covers implementation of ADHOC’s activities throughout the period of 1 January – 31 December 2017. Information is gathered through several means. Coaching and guiding missions to the provinces are carried out by senior Central Office staff, to monitor and supervise activities. Studies are carried out before and after empowerment and other activities to assess impact. All Provin­cial Coordinators/Monitors attend meetings in Phnom Penh during which they provide the Central Office with reports on their activities and financial docu­ments, discuss challenges, and find joint solutions to concerns.

2.Target area and rights holders of area of operation

At the conclusion of2017, ADHOC worked from offices in 19 provinces and Phnom Penh. ADHOC targeted a full range of rights holders—ordinary citizens, poor and mar­ginalized people and com­mu­nities, and real and potential victims of violations of human rights, women’s and chil­dren’s rights, and land and natural resources rights violations. ADHOC also worked and cooperated with state and local authorities and law enforcement (police, mili­tary and gendarmerie) officials.

3.Human Rights and Legal Aid Section

  1. Assistance to Victims
  2. Investigation and intervention

ADHOC’s human rights monitors investigated cases before taking them to relevant institutions to request their intervention. The Human Rights and Legal Aid Section investigated 408 cases in 2017, including 318 new cases and 89 follow-up cases.

  1. Legal representation

ADHOC lawyers provided legal representation to victims of human rights violations who were unable to afford lawyers to represent their cases in 16 cases.

  1. Social assistance

The Human Rights and Legal Aid Section provided social assistance in 26 cases in 2017. ADHOC provided assistance to victims of human rights violations and/or their families to allow them to travel attend court processes, an ADHOC office, meet with their lawyers, or access medical services.

  1. Promotion of participation in democratic processes
  2. Voter education workshops

In 2017, ADHOC organized 69 half-day voter education workshops, in which 7,030 people participated, including 4,171 (59%) women and 1,692 youth (24%). The workshops provided training on voter registration processes and election processes.

  1. Public political dialogue meetings

ADHOC organised 63 half-day public political dialogue meetings, in which 2,062 people participated, including 771 women (37%) and 591 youth (27%). The meetings were attended by a total of 333 political candidates, from 7 political parties.

  • Advocacy

ADHOC conducted press conferences, issued joint statements, organised radio shows, issued intervention letters and conducted interface meetings with relevant bodies.

  1. Partnerships and networking

National, regional and international networking with partners aimed to share experiences and ideas, and work towards the improvement of human rights for all.

  1. Coaching and guiding

ADHOC Central Office staff provided support to provincial staff with challenges or serious cases. The Human Rights and Legal Aid Section conducted 3 fieldtrips in 2017.

 

1.Women’s and Children’s Rights Section

  1. Assistance to survivors
  2. Investigation, intervention and legal counselling

ADHOC’s human rights monitors took cases to relevant institutions to request their intervention, or assist victims file complaints. The Women’s and Children’s Rights Section handled 339 new cases in 2017. In addition, the Section followed up with 139 cases.

  1. Legal representation

ADHOC’s lawyers provided legal representation to survivors of GBV, human trafficking and migrant abuse. Legal representation was provided in 11 cases in 2017.

  1. Social assistance

ADHOC provided material assistance to victims in serious cases, in the form of transportation, food, accommodation, medical care, or air tickets for repatriation. This allowed victims to attend court proceedings, travel to an ADHOC office, meet with lawyers, or return home to their communities following human trafficking or migrant abuse. ADHOC provided social assistance on 15 occasions.

  1. Reintegration assistance

ADHOC human rights monitors conduct field-trips to meet with repatriated survivors and assist address their diverse needs. In 2017, ADHOC provided reintegration assistance in 15 cases.

  1. Advocacy

The Section conducted 3 inter-face meetings with high-ranking officials to improve cooperation.

  • Partnerships and networking
  1. Dialogue meetings with Cambodian Embassies, NGO partners, and migrant communities in destination countries

The Women’s and Children’s Rights Section conducted 4 trips to improve partnerships to Thailand, Malaysia and China. These fieldtrips successfully allowed ADHOC to strengthen existing relationships with embassies and build new networks with CSO partners and migrant networks.

  1. Networking

In 2017, ADHOC successfully strengthened its networks at the national, regional and international level to better protect women’s rights.

  1. Provincial Network Workshop

ADHOC conducted a provincial network workshop in Kampong Cham province. It was attended by 71 participants, including 31 women (44%), as well as guest-speakers from the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the provincial police, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (MoSVY), Department of Labour and Vocational Training (DoLVT), and the Deputy Provincial Governor, as well as 10 local authorities.

  1. Empowerment
  2. Sensitisation sessions

ADHOC organised 53 sensitisation sessions on women’s rights in 2017, which were attended by a total of 2,863 participants, including 1,849 women (65%).

  1. Public forums on safe migration

In 2017, ADHOC organised the 5 public forums, which were attended by 249 participants, including 104 women (42%). Public forums allowed participants to raise their concerns or issues and share experiences they faced to guest speakers from ADHOC’s Central Office, DoLVT, and Anti-Human Trafficking Units of the provincial police.

  1. Training on safe migration

In 2017, 5 trainings on safe migration were conducted. They were attended by 150 participants, including 100 women (66%).

  1. Printing

In 2017, the Section printed 15,960 copies of training-related materials to support its awareness-raising activities.

  1. Staff capacity building
  2. Coaching and guiding

The Women’s and Children’s Rights Section conducted 3 coaching and guiding fieldtrips in 2017.

  1. Staff reflection meeting

ADHOC conducted 1 meeting for operational staff to inform them of project changes, discuss project implementation, provide feedback, and reflect on the impact of activities.

 

2.Land and Natural Resource Rights Section

  1. Assistance and Monitoring
  2. Investigation and intervention

The Land and Natural Resource Rights Section investigated and intervened in 261 cases in 2017. Of these, 67 were new cases received in 2017, and 194 were follow up cases.

  1. Joint investigations with Cadastral Commissions

ADHOC jointly investigated 1 case with a district cadastral commission.

  1. Legal representation

The Section provided legal representation in 28 cases in 2017.

  1. Social assistance

ADHOC provided social assistance to victims of land rights violations and their family members, allowing them to attend court processes, travel to an ADHOC office, meet with their lawyers, or access medical services. ADHOC provided social assistance in 6 cases of land rights violations, involving 9 victims (78% women).

  1. Empowerment of Communities
  2. Community identification

ADHOC identified 50 new priority communities, including 6 indigenous peoples and hill tribe communities located in Rattanakiri (3) and Mondulkiri (3) provinces.

  1. Sensitisation sessions

In 2017, ADHOC conducted 200 sensitisation sessions on land and natural resource rights. They were attended by 12,958 participants, including 60% women and 17% youth.

  1. Training courses for community representatives

In 2017, ADHOC conducted 50 training courses on land rights, which were attended by 1,435 participants, including 62% women,36% youth and 14% indigenous peoples. ADHOC additionally conducted 53 follow-up training courses.

  1. Publications

In 2017, the Section printed 23,000 copies of educational material.

  • Advocacy
  1. Provincial workshops

ADHOC organised 4 provincial workshops whereby authorities met with community members, allowing exchange between the groups, with 237 participants, including 27% women and 15% youth.

  1. Regional workshops for community representatives

Representatives of target communities living in neighbouring provinces were invited to participate in regional meetings to meet fellow representatives. In total, 3 workshops were organised in 2017, with 150 participants, including 31% women, 21% youth and 5% indigenous people.

  1. Provincial meetings for community networks

ADHOC facilitated 60 community network meetings at the provincial level in 2017. They were attended by 1,742 participants in total, including 35% women, 25% youth and 13% indigenous people.

  1. Meetings between communities and local administration leaders

ADHOC organised meetings between communities’ representatives and local administration leaders (commune councillors). ADHOC facilitated 165 meetings in 2017. They were attended by a total of 2,202 community representatives, including 28% women.

  1. Community internet café

In total, 163 communities held community internet café meetings, and a total of 4,860 posts were made on Facebook/Twitter to receive and share ideas.

  1. Coaching and guiding

The Land and Natural Resource Rights Section conducted 16 coaching and guiding fieldtrips in 2017 on a needs basis.

3.     Organisational Management

  1. Staff management
  2. Weekly Management Committee meetings

In total, 40 Management Committee meetings were held in 2017 on a needs basis.

  1. Coaching and guiding fieldtrips

Organisational management conducted 10 coaching and controlling fieldtrips in 2017.

  1. Governing board meetings

ADHOC’s Board convened 2 meetings according to needs.

  1. Annual Retreat

ADHOC conducted an Annual Retreat for Central Office and provincial staff in Phnom Penh, in November 2017.

  1. Staff appraisal

ADHOC’s annual staff appraisals will be concluded in February 2018.

  1. Building team spirit and democratic decision making processes
  2. Staff meetings

During 2017, ADHOC conducted 2 staff meetings.

  1. Two-day bi-monthly meetings

A two-day monthly meeting was convened every two months in Phnom Penh (6 in total over the course of the year).

  • Staff capacity building

Staff successfully gained increased knowledge and skills through training and capacity building sessions in 2017.

4.     Conclusion

ADHOC has largely been able to conduct its activities as planned, and continued to promote and protect human rights across Cambodia in 2017. The work of ADHOC is ensuring that more people are aware of their rights and are capable of actively defending them. Women are increasingly stepping forward to challenge rights violations they face. ADHOC is contributing towards this through increasing knowledge of women’s rights and supporting women to defend them. ADHOC has also contributed towards better knowledge of land rights and relevant laws amongst remote communities and indigenous com­mu­nities. A culture of solidarity is also being increasingly reinforced within and across com­munities.  Overall, ADHOC has successfully contributed towards the promotion and protection of human rights in Cambodia in 2017.