Dealing with Human Rights Abuse in Cambodia

This research proposal discusses the human rights abuses in the Cambodian justice system and proposes solutions for reform. It explores the need for human rights education offices, monitoring of prisoners' rights, and addressing juvenile delinquency. The research aims to analyze the effectiveness of the current legal system in protecting human rights and propose methods for resolving human rights abuses in Cambodia.

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Problem Statement.....................................................................................................................3
Research Rationale.....................................................................................................................3
Research Question......................................................................................................................4
Research Objectives...................................................................................................................4
Literature Review.......................................................................................................................4
Introduction of Human rights education................................................................................5
Structure of the Research...........................................................................................................6
Proposed Data Collection Method.............................................................................................8
Proposed Data Analysis.............................................................................................................8
Reference....................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
The criminal justice system is the coordination of the institutions and the practices of
the government for the aim of maintaining social control and for ending crime or for
disciplining the people violating laws (Metzl, 2016). By way of the criminal justice system
the individuals being accused of any kind of misconducts are being punished through the
process of rehabilitation and criminal penalties. In the Cambodian justice system a higher
number of the criminal cases are seen as being listed. The reasons for the same can be said as
the participation of the citizens in the life of politics, mostly by the youths. In Cambodia
many women are seen as being subjected to multiple instance of injustice, where the basic
rights of a person can be said as to be violated (Rotabi, 2016). The prisoners for instance
are seen to face different types of injustice in their jail cells in Cambodia (Gillespie,
2016). An example of the injustice faced by the prisoners in the Cambodian prisons is
that they are not even provided the basic healthcare rights of proper medical service
(Marks, 2017).The children in the juvenile system are also seen as not being aware of
their rights and hence are exploited on a daily basis (Marks, 2017).
In the research a detailed analysis would be conducted on the criminal injustice that is
happening in the country with mention to the issues of human rights that the normal citizens
are facing because of these crimes. In the research discussions would be conducted about the
reform processes in the judicial system in Cambodia especially in relation to the reforms of
the human right issues. In the research the works of various researchers such as Chenda Keo,
Thierry Bouhours, Roderic Broadhurst, &Brigitte Bouhours would be usedas reference. In
their article they have been seen as examining the backgrounds of the human traffickers
drawing from the interviews with the justice officials, NGOs, and the traffickers who have
been detained (Marks, 2017). In furtherance the work of Christoph Sperfeldt would also

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bereferred in the research. In his article he has done a detailed study about the
internationalized criminal justice processes in relation to Extraordinary Chambers in the
Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) that can be seen as giving the victims an active role in the trial
process of the courts (Subedi & OBE, 2017). My study would be mostly focusing on the
human rights reform processes that could be effectively incorporated in the Cambodian
Justice system for better enforcement of the same with special reference to access of
rights or justice for prisoners.
Problem Statement
In the Cambodian justice system a higher number of the criminal cases are seen as
being listed. The reasons for the same can be said as the participation of the citizens in the
life of politics, mostly by the youths. Most politicians are also seen as being involved in
various crimes, such as corruption and the abuse of money and other resources for their own
benefits that were originally allocated for the welfare of the citizens. In Cambodia prisoners
are often faced with various in-justices in the prisons. An example of the injustice faced
by the prisoners in the Cambodian prisons is that they are not even provided the basic
healthcare rights of proper medical service. The problem lies in the fact that there is no
legal framework or framework of rights and duties under the Cambodian justice system
that appears to exist that will address this injustice, and it is the aim and purpose of this
particular project to uncover the various ways and means by which a rights based
approach can be adopted towards the treatment and rehabilitation of prisoners in
Cambodia, that includes even criminals accused of the most notorious misdoings.

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I would suggest that you re-write the Problem Statement and just limit it to
your topic. Do not mention women’s rights or rape, unless it is in the
context of what happens in the prison.
Research Rationale
In my study, various types of in-justice that can be seen as being present in the
current legal system of Cambodia would be analysed in detail in light of the breach of basic
rights of the Cambodian citizens. In the study that I am about to undertake, the readers
would be provided with an overview of the human rights abuses of prisoners in
Cambodia and the inadequacy of current laws in Cambodia to deal with this human
rights abuse. My study would further be providing proposed solutions for the injustice
and corruption. Specifically, the way by which such rights abuses can be overcome
through changes made to the Cambodian legal framework.
Again, here you will need to re-write and mention that your study (call it
“my study”, do not call it “the research”, that is too general) will provide
proposals that may be able to solve the problems of injustice and
corruption in the prison system. This is your topic so you need to mention it
as much as possible.
Research Objectives
The aims of the research are:
 To find how effective the current legal system in Cambodia for protecting human
rights of criminals.

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 To analyze the human rights abuses of prisoners as seen to be present in the system.
 To make the public aware of the human rights abuses of prisoners in Cambodia
 To discuss in detail the violations of the basic rights that are suffered by prisoners in
Cambodia
 To propose for appropriate methods for resolving human rights abuse as seen to exist
for prisoners in Cambodia.
Research Questions
Some of the important questions that this research aims to answer are as follows –
RQ 1 – How effective is the current legal system in Cambodia for protecting the human
rights of criminals?
RQ 2 – What are the human rights abuses of prisoners as evident from the Cambodian legal
system?
RQ 3 – How can people be made aware of the human rights abuses of prisoners in
Cambodia?
RQ 4 – How are the basic rights of Cambodian prisoners violated in Cambodia?
RQ – 5 -How can the human rights abuse of prisoners in Cambodia be resolved?
There are various methods that can be proposed for addressing the current issue in the
Cambodian criminal justice system, however, introduction of the human rights education
office would be the most effective and necessary measure for the reformation of the
Cambodian criminal justice system.

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Dealing with Human Rights Abuse in Cambodia
Empowerment of Human Rights Offices in Cambodia
The proposal for reforms in the justice system of Cambodia that would be
discussed in the research would be to reinforce the existing human rights offices in the
country such as the UN office on human rights in Cambodia. Reinforcing the power and
authority of human rights offices for human rights education in Cambodia can be seen as
beneficial to the citizens. Such offices could be encouraged to provide the youths, politicians
and even to the general population at large proper training towards the basic rights of the
human beings (Morris, 2016). The citizens of the country could be offered help for informing
and educating them on the rights they have when there are allegations of any crime upon
them. The right of an individual toward an investigation of an alleged crime is also necessary
information that could be provided by the office. Without conducting a proper investigation
any individual cannot be pronounced as a criminal. As per the words of Killean it is the duty
of a human rights education office to be protecting an individual until the pronouncement of
the judgment and the individual has been held guilty (Killean, 2018). Dissemination classes
for each individual in the public can also be provided by way of the office. If encouraged
and reinforced properly, human rights offices in Cambodia cam help in a larger way for
the reform in criminal justice in Cambodia, as it would help individuals to be
recognizing their human rights. Multiple offices can be set up under the purview of
existing human rights offices like the UN office on human rights that will play a crucial
role in addressing the needs of the individuals from the various sections of the society.
This needs to be researched and re-written again. There are already several
Human Rights offices in Cambodia, including the UN one and that of the
government which is a joke. Obviously a new one will not make a

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difference. Perhaps is better to reinforce an existing office giving it powers
to deals with the problems affecting the prison system.
Monitoring the Rights of Prisoners
The prisoners in the Cambodian prison system are seen as being devoid of their basic
rights for proper medication and treatment. There should also be proper monitoring of the
rights and protections of the individuals who have been imprisoned. The human rights office
is required for making sure that the prison conditions are good for staying and also making
sure of the fact that the prisoners are not being tortured in an inhumane way. It is further
required for the office to be ensuring that the prisoners have access towards proper and clean
rooms which would be comfortable for staying and they should also be ensure of having a
balanced diet (Dawes, 2016). The office needs to provide resources to the prisons for
monitoring of these things. The duty of the employees in the office could be given as
ensuring that the prison is providing proper medical care towards the prisoners.
Dealing with Juvenile Delinquents
The function of the human rights education office could further be proposed to be
ensuring the rights of the children in the juvenile justice system. It could be really helpful
towards the children for educating them on their rights when allegations on them are made of
committing crime (Kanavou & Path, 2017). There should also be awareness in the public
about the children's rights for avoiding the violation of them. The creation of a network is
necessary in general even at the primary levels for educating everyone on the rights of the
children who have a chance of finding themselves in crime (Rotabi, 2016).
The proposed human rights office could also be ensuring that the women in the
Cambodian society are educated about their basic rights and the protection of the same
thereof. The human rights education can be dealing with the protection of the rights of the

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women who are exploited on a regular basis. These exploitations can be ranging from
domestic violence to rape and even slavery (Sevcenko, 2016).
Gaps in the Literature Review
The literature that has been reviewed above, talks about how the introduction of
human rights in Cambodian legal education can lead to awareness about the human rights of
prisoners and criminals in the country. Specific mentions have been made of the ways by
which the rights of children and juvenile delinquents can be secured through the introduction
of human rights education and also how the women in the country can be informed about
their basic rights and the protection of such rights especially with regard to women who
happen to go through frequent experiences of exploitation in the country (Dawes, 2016).
What the literature fails to do however is to mention in exact terms the type of injustices that
are prevalent in the Cambodian legal system and it also makes no mention of how effective or
good the current legal system is in the country when it comes to securing and ensuring the
human rights of criminals in the country (Morris, 2016). It is this gap in the literature that has
been reviewed, that the present research project hopes to address by specifying how unjust
the Cambodian legal system is when to protecting and upholding the human rights of
prisoners, how unjust the legal system of the nation is as a whole and how the people of the
country can be made aware of this injustice and appropriate actions be taken to address the
same (Tyner et al., 2016).
Structure of the Research
This research will be divided into the following different chapters -
Chapter 1 will contain an introduction to the research and it would comprise of an
overview of the Cambodian legal system and the injustice that is present in the current legal

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system in relation to the rights of the prisoners. The research the problem statement will be
given where the main issues concerning the legal system would be addressed. The research
rationale will also be given which would state the purpose of the research. Thereafter, the
research objectives will be stated. The objectives mentioned would be finding the
effectiveness of the criminal justice system in Cambodia, analysing the injustice present in
the system and proposing the methods that can be used for the injustice done by the justice
system. After this the research questions would be laid down as whether the justice system in
Cambodia is effective, if not then what are the injustice that are present towards prisonersand
what are the steps that could be taken to curb this injustice.
Chapter 2of this proposal will be the Literature Review in which a detailed
analysis will be done for the proposed methods for solving the injustice that are present in the
legal justice system in Cambodia. The proposed methods that will be discussed are the
introduction and incorporation of the human rights office for the protection of prisoners and
the measures taken for reducing of the violation of the basic human rights of the prisoners
Chapter 3will outline the qualitative methods that are used for doing the research that
includes legal doctrinal research and the consultation of books, journal and chapters in edited
volumes.
Chapter 4 will engage in a detailed discussion of the research findings after which
the findings shall be analysed and presented thematically. All important data retrieved using
the collection methods specified below, will be analysed and put forward based on crucial
themes, making it easy for the reader to under and interpret the research findings.
Chapter 5 will conclude on the findings of the research and will put forward a
number of useful recommendations that can be taken into account by Cambodian authorities
to implement a legal system that takes greater cognizance of the human rights of criminals

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and prisoners, recognizing them as human beings first, before subjecting them to the harsh
terms and conditions of their sentences or penalizations.
Proposed Data Collection Method
The aim of this paper is to examine the condition of prisoners in Cambodia and
to arrive at an understanding of the extent to which the human rights of prisoners are
violated. The paper will make use of qualitative empirical research in order to arrive at
the answers to the research questions. The research would be conducted on the basis of the
semi structured interviews conducted with former prisoners or Licadho workers who have
access to prisons, as accessing prisoners or prisoners on my own in Cambodia will prove to
be a difficult affair. The research would also involve the use of qualitative ethnographic
methods like the informal group discussions among the peers, participant observations and
reflexive interviewing for disseminating the information and generating interest in the
research process. The key purpose of conducting focus group discussions and reflexive
interviews is to gain an understanding of how freely respondent population is able to
speak on the subject of prisoners and human rights in Cambodia. Personal accounts
and experiences of staying in prison or working in the prisons are likely to come forth
when the interviews and focus group discussions are conducted. It is expected that the
interviewees will come up with vivid and graphic details about what it is like being
housed in a prison in Cambodia, and whether cruelty is exercised by the prison guards
who monitor these prisons. By hearing out the personal accounts and experiences of
interviewees, the researcher is going to arrive at a thorough understanding of what the
situation is like for prisoners in Cambodia and whether or not their human rights are
safeguarded here. In the event that human rights are violated, the truth will come forth

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through the personal experiences and narrations that are shared through the
interviews.
An attempt will be made on the part of the researchers when conducting the
interviews with prison inmates to be as guarded and as careful as possible so as not to
offend sentiments. The purpose of the interview and the outcome of the research will be
made very clear to the respondent population so that they have an understanding of
why the interviews are being taken and what how they are contributing to the research
process. Participation in the research process that is, in the interviews and in the focus
group discussions is also something that is going to be kept voluntary. Only those who
are comfortable with giving interviews and sitting for the focus group discussions will
be encouraged to do so while the others will have the option to not take part in the
discussions and interviews. The questions asked will be strictly personal and to the
point, in order to help the research participants give their answers as objectively as
possible.
Here you will need to rethink this. It is impossible to go into the prisons and
interview prisoners. Maybe former prisoners or some Licadho workers
that have access to the prisons. Again don’t mention women unless is in the
context of what has happened to them within the prison system.
Proposed Data Analysis
In general terms, in this report an important analytical framework for studying the
data that had been collected would be provided by way of the objectives that have been set
for the research. The research would be exploring all the dimensions and implications of the
subject matter. As the research is largely exploratory, the data analysis of the research would

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be requiring an open approach towards the literature instead of a theory testing strategy. In
the research there is a requirement for accounting for the practical approaches in relation to
ensuring the reformation of the criminal justice system in Cambodia which would be
developing the strategies for safeguarding the basic human rights that are being infringed that
could be implied easily and would not be disrupting the current justice system. The data that
is retrieved from the various sources used will be organized and presented thematically, that
is according to specific themes and contexts for the benefit of the reader.

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Reference
Dawes, G. (2016). Young Cambodians as Victims of Institutional Violence in the Criminal
Justice System. Asian Journal of Criminology, 11(1), 33-46.
Gillespie, J. (2016). A legal geography of property, tenure, exclusion, and rights in
Cambodia: exposing an incongruous property narrative for non‐Western
settings. Geographical Research, 54(3), 256-266.
Kanavou, A. A., & Path, K. (2017). The Lingering Effects of Thought Reform: The Khmer
Rouge S-21 Prison Personnel. The Journal of Asian Studies, 76(1), 87-105.
Marks, S. P. (2017). Forgetting “the policies and practices of the past”: Impunity in
Cambodia. In Cambodia: change and continuity in contemporary politics (pp. 233-
259). Routledge.
Metzl, J. F. (2016). Western Responses to Human Rights Abuses in Cambodia, 1975–80.
Springer.
Morris, C. (2016). Law and Human Rights in Cambodia. The Handbook of Contemporary
Cambodia, 29.
Rodriguez, J. (2018). Cambodia's Juvenile Justice System: Overcoming Challenges to Protect
the Rights of Cambodian Youth. Child. Legal Rts. J., 38, 97.
Rotabi, K. S. (2016). Human rights considerations in intercountry adoption: The children and
families of Cambodia and Marshall Islands. In Intercountry Adoption (pp. 81-92).
Routledge.

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Ševčenko, L. (2016). Prison public memory in the era of mass incarceration. American
Quarterly, 68(3), 823-834.
Subedi, S. P., & OBE, Q. (2017). The Effectiveness of the UN Human Rights System: Reform
and the Judicialisation of Human Rights. Routledge
Tyner, J., Ye, X., Kimsroy, S., Wang, Z., & Fu, C. (2016). Emerging data sources and the
study of genocide: a preliminary analysis of prison data from S-21 security-center,
Cambodia. GeoJournal, 81(6), 907-918
Bibliography need to be re-written, with articles and books that refer to
your topic.