By NJ Thakuria

Guwahati: The Cambodian transgender women are subjected to high levels of discrimination in their day to day life and most of them face some kind of harassments while in public spaces because of their identities, said a report of Cambodian Center for Human Rights.

The rights body is scheduled to launch the report titled Discrimination Against Transgender Women in Cambodia’s Urban Centers on  Wednesday (21 September 2016) in the capital city of Phnom Penh.

The Report is based on the findings of CCHR’s field research, collected through 135 surveys conducted in April 2016 in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Preah Sihanouk and Battambang provinces. The survey asked respondents about their experiences and perceptions of discrimination based on their gender identity, expression, both from state  & non-state  actors,” said a CCHR statement.

It also added that the proportion of respondents who had experienced verbal abuse, physical violence, sexual assault and rape in public spaces because of their trans identities was shocking and it shows that Cambodian streets are alarmingly unsafe spaces for trans women. Discrimination in employment is another serious issue uncovered by this research, with large numbers of respondents reporting being refused employment, and many more reporting dismissals from their employment, due to their trans identitie The report also analyzes the legal, social and cultural context in which Cambodia’s trans women live. The CCHR is hopeful that the release of the report would raise awareness about the discrimination and harassment trans women face in Cambodia, and provide a timely reminder to the Cambodian government that trans women face continual harassment and discrimination because of their trans identity and that immediate actions should be taken to implement anti-discrimination measures, through legislation as well as training local authorities.