What is the condition of street vendors in Cambodia? How does climate change impact their livelihoods? Sophal Ken, activist of IDEA and regional communicator has gathered some data and stories.

Cambodia’s climate is governed by the monsoon winds, which define two major seasons. From mid-May to early October, the strong prevailing winds of the southwest monsoon bring heavy rains and high humidity. From early November to mid-March, the lighter and drier winds of the northeast monsoon bring variable cloudiness, infrequent precipitation, and lower humidity.

During March to June, the weather in Cambodia is hot and dry, reaching 40 degrees Celsius. From July to October, it rains, sometimes so heavily that roads and houses are flooded, causing inconvenience to travelers and people who work on the streets.

About Street Vendors in Cambodia and their challenges

The street vending population in Cambodia is substantial, and a majority of them are women. In 2016, researchers from Yamaguchi University in Japan estimated, using Cambodia’s economic census, that 8.3% of all Cambodian enterprises are street businesses, and 76.6% of the people running them are women. Street vending businesses continue to grow.

Although there is little evidence explaining why street vending is predominantly female-dominated, it is an undeniable fact that Cambodian women still face cultural norms and social stigma. Many of them are engaged in unpaid domestic work, such as taking care of children, the elderly, and households. Despite improvements in women’s status over the years, those with limited education often end up working in the informal sector, including street vending.

Street vending plays a critical role in the commercial urban ecosystems of cities by providing employment and revenue for the least marginalized population groups. Despite women accounting for almost 52% of the total Cambodian population, according to the 2019 population census by the Ministry of Planning, available support for female street vendors and mothers is limited.

One immediate challenge faced by street vendors, especially in urban areas like Battambang, Siem Reap, and Phnom Penh, is access to childcare centres. You may have noticed street vendors putting their children in food carts, stalls, or even on motorbikes while they sell their goods along the streets. This situation is growing, and it poses significant risks to the children’s safety and their ability to attend classes and enjoy their childhood.

The lack of legal status and protection also exposes street vendors to abuses and harassment. If you talk to street vendors, many of them, if not all, will tell you that they have to pay for vending spots and protection.

Food safety is a growing concern among street vendors in Cambodia. Street foods, being cooked and ready-to-eat, are linked to various bacteria and pathogens that cause nausea, vomiting, stomach cramp, diarrhea and cholera.

These risks often arise from prolonged exposure to traffic pollution, unsanitary surroundings, and lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities, which can be attributed to the absence of appropriate vending spots. Some countries, like China and Thailand, even regard this as a national security issue to some extent.

Research findings suggest that street foods are the primary sources of food safety issues in many developing countries. Cambodia took a step forward by passing the food safety law in July 2022.

However, the absence of proper vending spots continues to hinder efforts to strengthen food safety in the Kingdom, posing risks to public health. Policy interventions are needed to address this issue.

As the majority of street vendors are women, they face enormous challenges every day, including harassment, lack of childcare centres, and limited access to social protection benefits.

Fortunately, these issues can be addressed. Prime Minister Hun Manet and his administration have the means and resources to improve the situation. Providing legal recognition and protection would safeguard the welfare and economic well-being of street vendors. It would also hold sub-national and local governments responsible for protecting and supporting the economic well-being of street vendors, while preventing harassment by opportunistic individuals.

What are institutions doing?

The Phnom Penh municipality and sub-national authorities should consider implementing a system to provide safe and designated vending spots for street vendors. These spots should have access to clean water, proper sanitation facilities, and be away from traffic pollution to ensure food safety and public health.

Additionally, creating affordable and accessible childcare centres near vending areas would greatly benefit street vendors who are mothers. This would allow them to work without worrying about their children’s safety and education.

Furthermore, awareness campaigns and training programs on food safety and hygiene practices can be organized for street vendors. Providing them with knowledge and tools to ensure the safety of their food would not only protect public health but also enhance their reputation and customer satisfaction.

According to the law, the social protection system has been extended to apply to informal economists for self-employed people, which the National Assembly has approved to enter into force from 2019, but this law has not been implemented. Only in 2023, this law was implemented to pilot the health care system for informal economy workers.

Climate Change Effect to Street Vendor

All below pictures drawing by the street vendors to show out the impact of climate change with their current working in both raining and hot season. They have been collected during a workshop on the topic.

The consequences of climate change are affecting traders: when the weather is very hot, sales are not continuous, and goods, vegetables and fruits are damaged, there are no customers. They are forced to bring the children along. They usually have to sell rice under the rain.

The street vendors who sell fish and crabs don’t have a proper place to store them, so when it rains, the crabs and fish escape from their containers and end up swimming in the streets.”

About the author: Sophal Ken is from Cambodia and currently works as the Research Project Coordinator at IDEA, focusing on the platform worker sector. In this role, she promotes workers’ rights and better working conditions by collecting data to advocate at both national and regional levels with platform companies. She also serves as the Project Coordinator for the Women’s Committee, organizing meetings to address women’s issues across various sectors, including street vendors, tricycle drivers, tuk tuk drivers, waste pickers, domestic workers, and platform workers, with the aim of finding solutions. Additionally, Sophal is an Asia Regional Communicator for StreetNet, reporting on training and events involving StreetNet stakeholders.