Developing Male Involvement Guidelines in Cambodia

June 30, 2005

Forty-two percent of all new HIV infections in Cambodia are due to husband to wife transmission.  This staggering figure, in addition to a low contraceptive prevalence rate and a high maternal mortality rate, has compelled Cambodia to examine how men can be included in responses to these reproductive health (RH) issues.  With technical assistance from the POLICY Project, the Reproductive Health Promotion Working Group (RHPWG), a network of Cambodian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) has been successful in engaging the government in recognizing the need for and drafting male involvement guidelines. 

In May 2005, RHPWG convened a meeting to review and finalize the male involvement guidelines, with representatives from a wide variety of ministries including the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Women's and Veteran's Affairs.  The guidelines build on principals of male involvement as laid out by the Interagency Gender Working (IGWG) including 1) promote rights and empower women and gender equity, particularly related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH), 2) promote and increase men's support for women's SRH and children's well being, and 3) promote sexual and reproductive health for men, women, and adolescents.  The guidelines link to the six areas of emphasis in the National Reproductive Health Strategic Plan and can be used by all related ministry organizations to insert or integrate into their policies, guidelines, or strategic plans.  Currently, adolescent RH guidelines are being developed, with the assistance of RHPWG and POLICY, including specific recommendations on male involvement.   

"Infection rates have not slowed down because husbands here like having sex outside marriage and do not care about safety.  Then they bring the AIDS disease from outside to their own homes."  -- His Excellency Mam Bun Heng, Secretary of State, Ministry of Health 

Cambodia's success in developing male involvement guidelines sets a precedent.  This process can be replicated and used to integrate male involvement guidelines in RH policies.  These guidelines can also be adopted at the policy and implementation level by stakeholders working outside of the health sector, such as other Ministries, NGOs, and civil society groups working with youth, school children, the uniformed services, vulnerable populations, women, and gender equality advocacy groups.

POLICY facilitated the development of the guidelines from issue identification through the drafting process.  POLICY conducted several advocacy training workshops with RHPWG, and assisted in the development of an advocacy tool "Male Involvement is Key to Reproductive Health" that has been used extensively to garner support for this initiative.  POLICY's Gender Working Group (GWG) provided support to RHPWG in capacity building around male involvement, and in the development of the guidelines.