Lay and institutional knowledges of domestic violence law: Towards active citizenship in rural and urban Cambodia

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Mixed method data collection on experiences of domestic violence and its potential for redress through law in Cambodia. Specifically, the collection includes information on quantitative household questionnaires; interviews; and participatory video workshops held in rural and urban case study communities in two provinces. The research was carried out to understand the situated beliefs and experiences of domestic violence victims, legal professionals, NGO workers, police officers and other authority leaders who have a stake in domestic violence prevention and reduction.

Domestic violence (DV) is a one of the starkest collective failures of the international community in the 21st century. Although a growing number of laws have been passed to protect women, governments from around the world have struggled to convert promises into prevention. This timely study concentrates on the 2005 'Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of the Victims' in Cambodia. The research examines why investments are faltering, and how these insights could shape the strategies adopted by programme and policy-makers. Conducted in two provinces, the research uses a quantitative survey of rural and urban households to establish levels of understanding of the 2005 Law and see what associations can be made to different individual, community and societal factors. It also involves film-making with local communities and harnesses interviews with key individuals to uncover the range of knowledge and experiences surrounding DV (law).