Indigenous girls and groups working to promote the development for indigenous women found that young indigenous women suffer from a lack of access to public services due to social mindsets and a lack of information.

Lek Kary, a young Prov indigenous woman from Ratanakkiri province, said that in the communities where she and other girls live, there is a lack of media coverage and support from the community and authorities. She says they live far away from public services, often in remote areas, so accessing services and changing the mindset of the community is not easy.

“It is difficult and frightening to communicate with other people when expressing opinions or new ideas to the community and local authorities,” she added.

“We lack support for making our own decisions. I think it may be because the media in my community is limited, as they are not open to new information. Due to lack of knowledge about resources for women and girls, they are unaware of the support that is available,” she said.

According to Kry Suy Heang, executive director of Women for Peace, a recent study found that nearly 60 per cent of ethnic minority girls have no contact with other communities because they live in remote areas. In addition, they do not venture out from their communities for fear of experiencing discrimination.

“With all of these issues, it is difficult for them to get information. If they are unaware of the support that is available to them – or have incomplete knowledge of it – they do not have the courage to make their own decisions,” she said.

She added that many young women had lost the opportunity and the right to participate in community and social work. The loss of this opportunity has made many of them afraid to express their views to the local village-commune authorities.

These challenges are all around young indigenous women. Social, individual and systemic factors mean they and older women lack access to information and decision-making support.

“A solution must necessarily be multi-sectoral, which means that it requires the participation of all parties. The first thing that needs to be addressed is the minority women themselves. They should have the power to stand up and demand what is their right. Together with their parents and other stakeholders, including the community and village-commune authorities, a positive mindset towards gender needs to established,” she said.

She added that another important influence is the media. Journalists need to cover opportunities and share information that is helpful to indigenous women and girls.

Sar Sineth, deputy director-general of the General Department of Social Development of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, said the ministry has cooperated with the Provincial Department of Women’s Affairs to improve the capacity of service providers and make them more effective and comprehensive.

She added that the specialised ministry group has developed an action plan to respond to vulnerable groups, with indigenous peoples being considered a priority group by the ministry.

“That is why in every policy, every plan, we have included indigenous peoples as a vulnerable group, which means taking into account gender inclusion. It is one of the keys to our stated goal that ‘no one is left behind,” she said.

She added that her ministry has also shared these plans in Ratanakkiri province, along with information about the impact of marriage and pregnancy at a young age.

She agreed that young indigenous women and girls often lack access to information about public services.

“That is why the ministry and the women’s affairs department have made efforts to share leaflets on certain articles related to various abuses,” she added.

In April, Women for Peace released a study entitled “The Voice of Indigenous Girls,” which identified the challenges of more than 343 girls, including the indigenous peoples of Vietnam, Cham Muslims and Khmer Krom. It concluded that they faced oppressive social mindsets, discrimination, a lack of public services at the local level, and housing insecurity.