Fair Treatment
Equal Pay
The Constitution supports the principle of equal pay for equal work and prohibits all forms of discrimination against women. The work by housewives in the home has the same value as what they can receive when working outside the home.
The Labour Law also prohibits discrimination in wages on the basis of sex, origin and age. Wage is equal for all the workers for work under equal conditions, professional skill and output. The 2018 Law on Minimum Wage clarifies that for any work with equal conditions, skill and profession and equal output, the wage shall be equal for all workers/employees covered by this law, regardless of origin, sex or age.
Sources: §36 & 45 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, of 21 September 1993 (as amended 1999); §106 of the Labour Law, promulgated by Royal Order No. CS/RKM/0397/01 of 13 March 1997 (amended in 2021)
Non-Discrimination
In accordance with the Cambodian Constitution, all persons are equal before the law without any discrimination on the basis of race, colour, sex, language, religious beliefs, political tendencies, national birth origin, social status, wealth or other status.
Labour Law requires that employers not discriminate (in employment-related matters) on the basis of race, colour, sex, belief, religion, political opinion, national origin, social origin, or membership of a trade union or the exercise of trade union activity. The 2009 Law on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Law (2002) also forbids employment discrimination based on actual, perceived, or suspected HIV status.
Sources: §31 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, of 21 September 1993 (as amended 1999); §12 of the Labour Law, promulgated by Royal Order No. CS/RKM/0397/01 of 13 March 1997 (amended in 2021); Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability, 2009; HIV/AIDS Law, 2002
Equal Choice of Profession
Women can work in the same industries as no restrictive provisions could be located in the law. Constitution grants the right to work in any profession to all the citizens. It says that the "Khmer citizens of either sex shall have the right to participate actively in the political, economic, social and cultural life of the nation. Any suggestions from the people shall be given full consideration by the State grant. Moreover, article 36 of the Constitution reads as follows: "Khmer citizens of either sex shall enjoy the right to choose any employment according to their ability and to the needs of the society".
Sources: §35 & 36 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, of 21 September 1993 (as amended 1999)
Regulations on Fair Treatment
- Labour Law, promulgated by Royal Order No. CS/RKM/0397/01 of 13 March 1997 (amended in 2018)
- Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, of 21 September 1993 (as amended 1999)
- Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability, 2009
- Criminal Code