UN: Women, children affected most by crisis in Cambodia

UN: Women, children affected most by crisis in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Women and children of Cambodia bore the brunt of the current global financial crisis, as it cut down on the kingdom's exports and led to job loss, said the Office of UN Resident Coordinator on Wednesday.

"Women will be disproportionally affected by this crisis. They make up the bulk of the labor force, and they are the backbone of this economy. We know that when women's incomes are lost, the whole family suffers, especially the children," said UN Resident Coordinator Douglas Broderick in a press release.

To survive, more and more Cambodian women and children may find themselves in the informal economy for lower wages, poorer conditions, and greater risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking, he said.