Fiona Kelliher
Soun Chanraksmey, who took out a $15,000 microfinance loan before being evicted from Angkor Archaeological Park, pictured in Run Ta Ek on January 18, 2023. (Fiona Kelliher/VOD)

‘Everyone Has Loans’: MFIs Used Angkor Land as Collateral for Years

As thousands of families evicted from Angkor Wat move to a desolate relocation site, they are leaving behind plots of land they have used as collateral for microfinance loans — putting them in the tenuous position of having to repay loans without income or access to the land itself.

Members of Cambodian youth group Khmer Thavrak protest outside the offices of Prasac and AMK, two of the country’s largest microfinance lenders, in Battambang province on May 9, 2020 (Licadho)

Three NGOs Allege Investor Ignored Own Evidence of Microfinance Abuse

Three human rights organizations have filed a complaint against a Netherlands-based microfinance investor on the grounds that it violated international responsible business standards and for years ignored its own evidence of harms linked to predatory lending practices.

Chan Mach, 43, cooks while wearing a mask at her roadside restaurant in Takeo province in late March 2020.

Cambodian Women Face ‘Double Burden’ of Care Work: Report

Cambodian women shoulder a disproportionate amount of the work at home and mental stress related to performing it, even though they and their partners believe the work should be shared more equally, according to a new report.