This assessment of ARH (ARH) in Cambodia is part of a series of assessments conducted in 13 countries
in Asia and the Near East.1
The purpose of the assessments is to highlight the reproductive health status
of adolescents in each country, within the context of the lives of adolescent boys and girls. The report
begins with the social context and gender socialization that set girls and boys on separate lifetime paths in
terms of life expectations, educational attainment, job prospects, labor force participation, reproduction,
and duties in the household. The report also outlines laws and policies that pertain to ARH and discusses
information and service delivery programs that provide reproductive health information and services to
adolescents. The report identifies operational barriers to ARH and ends with recommendations for action
to improve ARH in Cambodia.
The issue of ARH in Cambodia, like many other issues in contemporary Cambodian society, owes much
to Cambodia’s experience of the past 30 years of conflict and the massive social and infrastructure
destruction enacted during the regime of the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979. As a result,
Cambodia was left with a devastated infrastructure and a serious lack of human resources. While these
issues are now being addressed following the reestablishment of order and political control during the
1990s, particularly since the 1993 elections under the United Nations Transitional Authority (UNTAC),
there is no “quick fix” and the lack of infrastructure and human resources affect every sector.