LGBTQ faces discrimination in workplace, says CCHR report

The Cambodian Centre for Human Rights (CCHR) issued a report this month revealing workplace discrimination faced by members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community in Cambodia.

Along with the report, the CCHR in a press release on Sunday said: “LGBTQ individuals face discrimination in accessing employment. A fifth of respondents said they had been refused a job because of their sexual orientation and gender identity and expression [Sogie].”

The report includes 118 interviews conducted with a government representative and LGBTQ respondents across seven provinces. Sixty-five per cent attested to being denied job opportunities numerous times due to their Sogie.

Twenty-five per cent had hidden their Sogie during a job interview, and over half did so for fear of not being hired.

The report continued that during employment, “36 per cent of respondents said they had experienced discrimination and bullying, such as verbal harassment and name-calling, in the workplace as a result of their Sogie from members of the public [61 per cent], colleagues [45 per cent] and more rarely their employers [six per cent].”

In lieu of the report, the CCHR recommended legislative changes to explicitly prohibit workplace Sogie-based discrimination.

It also called on public and private sector employers to apply the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) “Standards of Conduct for Business in Tackling Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, & Intersex People”.

CCHR executive director Chak Sopheap declined to comment on the report, referring questions to CCHR’s sexual orientation and gender identity project coordinator Nuon Sidara instead.

Sidara told The Post on Monday that the CCHR is working with partner organisations and relevant ministries on recommendations to formulate a policy and a law against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ) discrimination.

“Now, our partner organisations are working on making the fight against LGBTIQ discrimination more known to the public. We are also working with relevant ministries. They have the power to urge the creation of law against discrimination,” he said.

The CCHR, Sidara said, would forward the findings of its research to the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and other relevant ministries, enterprises, and stakeholders.

Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training spokesman Heng Sour could not be reached for comment on Monday.