GENDER JUSTICE, YOUTH & EDUCATION

The last survivors of this history are ageing; the young people who will carry it forward are in school now. Here we turn a painful past into prevention — equipping students, teachers, and communities with the awareness and skills to recognise injustice and refuse to repeat it.

Explore the projects in this area below.

Gender Justice through Learning and Reflecting on SGBV during the Khmer Rouge

Supported by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung (HBS)

Sexual and gender-based violence during the Khmer Rouge regime remains one of the least acknowledged legacies of that era. Decades later, survivors continue to live with the physical and emotional consequences of what they endured - while the history of this violence remains largely absent from classrooms and community conversations.

Kdei Karuna works to break this silence. Through community-based youth clubs in four provinces - Kampot, Kep, Battambang, and Oddar Meanchey - young people are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to engage with this difficult history and become advocates for gender justice in their own communities.

Young people as change-makers

Youth club members receive training in dialogue facilitation, oral history collection, and basicemotional and social support - practical skills that enable them to lead meaningful conversations with peers, families, and community members. Many describe a transformation in how they understand their own history and their role in shaping their community's future.

As one youth club leader from Kep reflected: "I gained knowledge of Khmer Rouge history and its impacts on gender, which makes me proud to promote peace and gender equality in my community."

Breaking the silence together

At the heart of the project are intergenerational exchanges between survivors and young people. Survivors are invited to share their testimonies in safe, structured settings - and many describe the experience as deeply meaningful.

As one survivor from Oddar Meanchey shared: "Being heard so attentively by young people has helped me find a sense of relief. I want the next generation to live in a peaceful society with gender equality."

Change that lasts

The program builds advocacy from the ground up. Youth clubs are community-rooted, locally facilitated, and increasingly self-sustaining - with members continuing their work even as they move on to further studies. Local authorities and school principals have actively supported the initiative, opening classrooms for workshops and encouraging broader youth participation.