The workshop was divided into two groups on January 25-26 and January 27-28, as a safety measure in the face of the pandemic. Following the workshop series, participants will undergo training in factories. 

Every day, around 700,000 factory workers in Cambodia put their lives at risk commuting to work on dangerous high-traffic roads in order to provide for their families. Cambodian workers make up almost 20% of all crash-related casualties, many of whom are women. 

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Report on Annual Achievements 2019 and Action Plans 2020 revealed that 36% of all reported workers’ occupational risks involved commuting crashes, highlighting the need for intervention. 

AIP Foundation sought leaders who would become advocates for better work conditions for factory workers. Leaders who attended these workshops learnt about their workers’ commuting safety context, where they would be able to make more informed decisions and apply them in their daily lives for safety improvement. 

AIP Foundation CEO Mirjam Sidik explained: "Road crashes not only impact the lives of workers but also the lives of the 2 million family members they support. It's important to look at numbers and statistics to understand the  big picture, but it's equally important to remind  ourselves that these are real people who are traveling dangerous routes to work. Lives are at stake every single day, every minute. This isn't just about road safety, it's about keeping the family unit together and protecting women's rights." 

Secretary of State of the Ministry of Public Work and Transportation and Secretary General of the National Road Safety Committee, H.E Min Meanvy, added “Federation and trade union leaders play an important role in communicating the risks of unsafe road behavior and protecting workers by advocating for road safety policy adoption and effective enforcement at factory level. These workshops empower worker representatives to create positive changes to commuting safety.” 

The training provided an opportunity for participants to learn and share experiences in an open format deepening their knowledge on risks of unsafe behavior and conditions on the road, while also including practical activities where participants could draw ideas on how to effectively disseminate commuting safety messages to workers. 

Pam Wharton, Deputy Country Program Director of Solidarity Centre, underlined: “Workers’ rights include being able to travel safely to and from work. Increasing awareness of this important issue and highlighting the safety improvements needed to prevent commuting crashes is an important part of ensuring decent work conditions for factory workers in Cambodia.”