Facts
Facts taken from social scientists, research reports, university theses, annual government surveys, medical practitioners and press reports.

In Memoriam
The women who have died at work serving beer were real people and should be remembered.

Brands?
Find out if your favorite beer is being sold by 'beergirls' in Cambodia.

Ways to help
Easy ways to contribute to change. Includes press releases.

Archives
Recent and previous developments are detailed in our archives

YOU CAN SUPPORT THE HIV/AIDS PREVENTION WORK IN CAMBODIA! Visit the SiRCHESI website

Website checked 13/08/08

Some of the world's largest beer companies exploit Cambodian women to sell their products, and may deny these women basic labour and human rights, (refusing to recognise them as employees). When AIDS, alcohol and other work place dangers prove fatal, these 'throwaway beer girls' are replaced with young recruits. Ethicalbeer.com monitors the sales practices and health, safety and welfare policies of major globalized beer companies doing business in Cambodia. For additional facts, background information and action strategies, why not consult our sister site www.fairtradebeer.com or visit www.beergirls.org, a site providing a voice to the women at risk in Cambodia.

AB-INBEV, CARLSBERG,  HEINEKEN AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL BREWERS  ARE YET AGAIN IN 2008-9 BEHAVING BADLY TO WOMEN BEER SELLERS IN CAMBODIA”, written by Ian Lubek with the help of SiRCHESI NGO and many international colleagues - read the full report here. (PDF-file; 0,5Mb) & as summarised pressrelease (PDF, 0,25 Mb)

Heineken releases CAS Audit (Jan. 2009). 

Beer Selling Industry Cambodia (BSIC), of which Heineken, Carlsberg, Guinness, Tiger Beer, etc.,are members, hired  Cambodian research organization CAS to evaluate progress made since Jan. 2008 (unpublished, CAS "Baseline" AUDIT), and to document adherence to 7 principles in their Code of Conduct (Oct. 2006). The CAS study focusses on those  7 items, without addressing some of the additional concerns raised by SiRCHESI, SOMO (2007, 2009) and shareholders representatives from VBDO, addressed at Heineken AGMs since 2007. (e.g., Living wages, free (HAART) anti-retrovirals for HIV+ employees). Within the 7 questions covered, there is direct confirmation of some SiRCHESI results-- e.g., basic Heineken salary still averages $69.00 when SiRCHESI data shows women need $141 to feed their families. There is some praise in the CAS (and SiRCHESI) reports for areas of progress, such as uniforms. But the CAS also admonishes the beer companies to do more about nightly drinking by 73% of beer sellers who still, in 2009, reported that they sit and drink with customers, against BSIC's Code of Conduct  (SiRCHESI data showed more than 90%). As with SiRCHESI's recently released reports (Press release 2009, and Backup information 2009), CAS highlighted many problems of employees' contracts -- transparency, compliance with Cambodian Labour Code,  and confusion about benefits, rights and the pay structures and amounts due to them. Some data reported in the CAS study are in sharp contradiction with independent SiRCHESI findings, and require further discussion and methodological analyses  For example, a conservatively worded question about workplace drinking produces a CAS finding of 0.71 litres being drunk on the last shift  by 105 BSIC saleswomen, or 3 glasses of beer or standard drinks. This amount in itself requires comment: it is 3 times the amount suggested by the US website (0.25 litres=1 glass) for American women--30% greater in height, weight and BMI than Khmer women-- www.enjoyheinekenresponsibly.com; at the new Heineken Cambodia site, Cambodian women are told that 1-2 drinks are advised as a limit (0.25- 0.50 litres), less than the BSIC sellers are currently drinking-- in fact the SiRCHESI data for 2008 suggested that mean alcohol drunk per shift by BSIC brands was 1.48 litres nightly or 6 standard drinks, N=103).

SOMO (NL)'s research overview to Heineken shareholders (2009)
 

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Find out about the work SiRCHESI is doing - read the 2008 newletter

Dear Friends Your support is urgently needed by SiRCHESI -- Siem Reap Citizens for Health, Educational and Social Issues-- as its staff confronts the HIV/AIDS pandemic and other severe health challenges ravaging their Cambodian community. In Siem Reap, there are an estimated 7-10,000 persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), and women are increasingly at risk. Only a few hundred people currently are receiving life-prolonging anti-retroviral therapy (ARVT). Please support our health promotion efforts with a small (or large!!) donation. Best Wishes Ian Lubek (International advisor to SiRCHESI) Read the full letter (in rtf) from Ian and find out how to make a donation!