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
Stickers and FlyersResearch Reports Presentations SiRCHESI newsletters CARE reports Press Reports Information for Journalists (press releases and background info) Miscellaneous documents
Download Stickers
Stickers
Killer Beers - Trading fairly in Cambodia? People or profit in Cambodia? Socially responsible corporation in Cambodia? Respects Cambodian female workers? and more
A4 sheet with 65 stickers sticker size 63.5 x 38.2mm 'Killer Beers?' 2,681kb
A4 sheet with 21 stickers sticker size 38.1 x 21.2mm 'Killer Beers?' 888kb
Killer Beers? Three versions with various brands
A4 sheet with 21 stickers sticker size 38.1 x 21.2mm 'Killer Beers?'95kb
A4 sheet with 21 stickers sticker size 38.1 x 21.2mm 'Killer Beers?'61kb
A4 sheet with 21 stickers sticker size 38.1 x 21.2mm 'Killer Beers?'93kb
Download & distribute flyers
A6 Just Dying for a Beer? RTF file edited to print double-sided 4 flyers per sheet A4
A5 'Killer Beers?' RTF file edited to print double-sided 2 flyers per sheet A4
Research ReportsLubek, I. (2005) Cambodian 'beer promotion women' and corporate caution, recalcitrance or worse? Psychology of Women Section Review, 7 (1) Spring pdf file 83kb
Lubek, I., and Wong, M.L. (2001) Some unexpected research consequences of a re-engagement with the history of social psychology: Lewian (1946) Action research and the current Cambodian HIV/AIDS crisis. Read HTML version
Lubek,I., Wong, M. L., McCourt, M., Chew, K., Dy, B. C., Kros, S., Pen, S., Chit,M., Touch, S., Ngee, T., Mok, V. (2002) Collaboratively confronting the current Cambodian HIV/AIDS crisis in Siem Reap: a cross disciplinary, cross cultural "participatory action research" project in consultative, community health change. This is a longer version of a paper that appears in Asian Psychologist 3 (1), 21-28 . Read as pdf file
McCourt, M. (2002). A Social Psychological, Grassroots Empowerment Pilot Project for “Beer Girls” (Female Indirect Sex Workers) in Cambodia. University of Guelph, University of Guelph. A thesis submitted in completion of the requirements for the degree of Honours Bachelor of Arts. read in rtf (816 Kb)
Schuster, J., et al (2006) Aids, alcohol and violence against women: strategies for reducing workplace health risks to Cambodian beer-selling women, presented at the XVI International Aids Conference, Toronto Canada 13-18 August 2006. Read abstract (pdf 33kb)
van Merode, T., Dy, B.c., Kros, S., and Lubek, I., (2006) Antiretrovirals for employees of large companies in Cambodia. The Lancet 05/09/06. This letter is a response to an article published in The Lancet on 5 Aug 2006 which praised Heineken for providing free high active antiretrovirals (HAART) to workers in Africa. van Merode et al call for Heineken to extent its policy to Cambodia. Read letter via www.thelancet.com
Wong,M. L., Lubek,I., McCourt, M., Dy,B. C., Kros,S. Pen,S., Tra,T. Ou,B. Chhit,M., Touch,S., Em, P. M., Traut, P. and Mok, V. (2004) “You can persuade your men to use condoms 100% of the time”: Transferring HIV/AIDS prevention programs acrosscultural boundaries. In B. Majumdar and R. Pongruengphant (Eds.) Proceedings of the International Conference : Impact of Global Issues on Women and Children (February 16-21, 2003, Bangkok, Thailand) . Hamilton: McMaster University. Pp. 89-94. Available online www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/slru/ic2003/Wong-Workshop.pdf 123KB
Presentations
Beer and Women: Excessive Alcohol Consumption and Risk of HIV/AIDS among Cambodian Beer Promotion Women (“Beer Girls”) Presentation by Lubek, I., et al,(University of Guelph) given at the Universiteit van Leiden, Jan. 26,2005. View presentation ppt file (199,116kb)
Aids, Alcohol & Awareness: Empowering Cambodian Beer Promotion Women to Become Community Health Promotion Workers Presentation by Lubek, I., et al, (University of Guelph) given at the London School of Economics, Jan 30, 2006. View presentation exe file (5,892kb)
Some Alcohol and HIV/AIDS Risks in Cambodia Presentation by Lubek, I., et al, (University of Guelph) given at Carlsberg Headquarters, Copenhagen, Oct 3rd 2006. View presentation exe file (4,716 kb)
Combining Alcohol and HIV/AIDS risks in Cambodia Presentation by Lubek, I., et al (University of Guelph) given at Heineken Headquarters, Amsterdam, 29 Sept 2006. exe file (3,265kb)
SiRCHESI Newsletters
SiRCHESI (Siem Reap Citizens for Health, Educational and Social Issues) produces annual newsletters. Read newsletters for
2005 (pdf 1,413kb)
2006 (pdf 8,700kb)
2007 (pdf 758kb)
2008 (pdf 3,400kb)
CARE Reports
Selling Beer Safely: A Baseline Survey and Needs Assessment of Beer Promoters in Phnom Penh. Report prepared for CARE by Ingrid Quinn, Sept 2003. Read report (pdf 453kb)
A Report on the Situation of Beer Promotion Women in the Workplace, Cambodia. Report prepared by Louise Bury, 2005. Read report (pdf 3,133kb)
Selling Beer Safely: A Cambodian Women’s Health Initiative Endline Evaluation.Report prepared by Charlotte Klinker, Feb 2005. Read report (pdf 396kb)
Press Reports
In May 2010 various news-channels reported - read the articles online at Radio Australia, M&C News and VOA News. If the links should have reached their expiration date, you can download a text-file with the original content.
1 July 08 - Three articles by SØREN KRAGBALLE appear in the Danish press
i) NGO: Bryggerier betaler sulteløn til deres ølpiger (pdf 12kb); ii)Carlsbergs ølpiger bliver fortsat groft chikaneret (pdf 15kb); iii) Carlsbergchef: Ikke godt nok (pdf 14kb)The Francophone Cambodge Soir, ran a two page story on the plight of the female beersellers on June 12th, 2008: Lanceuses de bière - see the full text in PDF here (part one) and here (part two)
On Friday 16th, 2008, Peter Olszewski wrote a story in the Phnom Penh Post, suggesting that the Australian Council of Trade Unions, or ACTU, may take the cause of the hazardous workingplace conditions of the female beersellers to the International Union of Food Workers, based in Geneva. "This is a really important issue and needs national and international exposure to ensure the companies live up to their responsibilities as good employers," the ACTU's international officer, Alison Tate, told the Phnom Penh Post from Melbourne. You can read the full article in the Phnom Penh Post here
The Business section of the major Dutch newspaper Telegraaf ran a story on May 10, 2008 on the suppression by Heineken of a Care-report and quoted from that report - the article ends with a Heineken spokeswoman, stating that "the treatment of the Cambodian female beersellers should be viewed in the context of the local culture" , which inspired a reader in the forum of the paper to vow never to drink a Heineken again. A translation of the article in English can be provided on request.
'Biermeisje' is gevaarlijk beroep, NRC Handelsblad, 6 Oct 2007, Frits Baltesen en Elske Schouten. pdf original report in Dutch (1,912kb) © Copyright. English translation. Letter published in response to this article Copy of original Dutch version (260kb) and English translation (7kb)Nita: Beer promotion girl Online report at http://www.vuthasurf.com/2007/03/12/nita-beer-promotion-girl
Danish Press: two articles from the Danish newspaper JK - the first on the situation in Cambodia - another dealing with Carlsberg - both in Danish, were published June 10th, 2007
Beverage Companies Join To Protect Their 'Beer Girls' VOA Khmer, Washington 5 March 2007. Read online at http://www.voanews.com/khmer/2007-03-05-voa4.cfm
After Praise, Now Critique for Heineken Translation from Dutch De Financinle Telegraaf 25 Oct 2006, pT19. Read in RTF (16kb) Read original Dutch article (RTF which contains photo of article 18,821 kb)
Beer Girls Need Help Too 31 May 2006 by Alvin
Cambodia's former King Sihanouk has decided to help the country's hapless beer girls. Ex-Cambodia king demands better life for beer girls May 31, 2006 PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia's retired king, Norodom Sihanouk, backed a campaign ... http://chlim01.blogspot.com/search?q=beer+girls+need+help+tooACTU looks to help Asian beer sales girls ABC News May 27, 2006 http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200605/s1648820.htm
CAMBODIA: Beer Firms Need to Do More for Women Promoters http://www.newsmekong.org/node/230/print
De biermeisjes van Inbev 25/10/06 sourced from Trouw and De Telegraaf. Read original article http://www.express.be/zint/dvp_articles.NewsDetail?IdA=2326&TypeA=ZWIJGER or an English translation (rtf 18kb)
Breweries under fire for 'Beer and Flesh' trade. Tanya Fong. The Strait Times, 12/03/04. Read file as jpg 382 KB or jpg 214 KB
Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad articles about Cambodian (F, J., van Luyn) and Chinese (G van Pinxteren) beer promotion women.
Read in RTF or as pdf'Beer wenches' spark alcohol abuse fears. 10/11/2003 ABC News Online www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s985524.htm The New South Wales Government is warning of a crackdown on businesses that hire women to purchase alcoholic drinks for their patrons during major sporting events.
A timebomb is ticking in Cambodia. Aids is spreading fast. Cause: Cambodian sexual attitudes. "Married women aren't just that pretty, compared to prostitutes." Robert Giebels - NRC Handelsblad, August 19 2003, p.4
Read report in HTML format
Read report in RTF formatBeer Girls: Pretty girls in short dresses have been selling beer for Carlsberg and Ceres in Cambodia for years. The pay is lousy and the girls are desperate to make enough money. One out of two sell themselves to the customers after work. One out of five has HIV. Hanne Mrlby Henriksen, Phnom Penh, Politiken 10 august 2003, 1. sektion, side 1. Read report in HTML
Promotiemeisjes / Biertje? Promotion girls/beer? By Joop Bouma Trouw, 2003-05-23
Read report in HTML format Original Dutch version English translation
Read report in RTF format Original Dutch version English translation
Go to the Trouw website:www.trouw.nl'Ethical beer' campaign to target Western drinkers Charlotte McDonald-Gibson, Phnom Penh Post, Issue 12/07, March 28 - April 10, 2003.
Read report in HTML format
Read report in RTF format
Website: www.PhnomPenhPost.comAIDS IN ASIA: The Continent's Growing Crisis/WORKERS AT RISK/Cambodian 'beer girls' add to HIV epidemic -- activists say brewers must get involved. Richard Sine, Chronicle Foreign Service. Weds, January 15, 2003.
Read online at http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/01/15/MN236865.DTL
Read report in HTML format
Read report in RTF formatCAMBODIA: Siem Reap's "Beer Girls" yet to be educated about HIV-AIDS Asia Pacific programs interview with Prof Ian Lubek. Presenter/Interviewer: Tricia Fitzgerald. 12/04/02.
Read a transcript of the interview in html format or RTF format
Asia Pacific websiteOne Canadian's dedication to AIDS education MICHELE LANDSBERG Toronto Star, Nov. 17, 2002., p. A2
Read report at www.torontostar.com
Read report in RTF formatThe cost of living: Research suggests more beer girls are being forced by poverty to provide clients with sex. But figures showing that one in five are HIV positive raise the question of responsibility. Bill Bainbridge and Lon Nara. Phnom Penh Post, July 19 - Aug 1, 2002. vol. 11, num. 14.
Read report in HTML format
Read report in RTF format
Website: www.PhnomPenhPost.comPHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Yun Nit fled an abusive husband and a barren province to look for work in the capital, and at first it looked as if she had landed a decent job. Richard Sine, Boston Globe Correspondent, 9/22/2002 p A8.
Read report in HTML format
Read report in RTF format
Bar Code: Cambodia's 'Beer Girls' Peddle the Product And Endure the Hassle : Refugee From the Ricefields Learns Job Often Leads To After-Hours Paid Sex --- Sometimes, a Deadly Result by Samantha Marshall and Steve Stecklow. The Wall Street Journal, May 31, 2000.
Read report in HTML format
Read report in RTF formatSelling Beer Safely: a Cambodian women's health initiative. Article published on the CARE Australia website. http://www.careaustralia.org.au/selling_beer_safely.htm
Miscellaneous Documents
An anonymous summary of beerservers in Cambodia, c 2005. This list provides a partial, incomplete and occasionally erroneous document, but one verifying estimates of nearly 4000 beer servers in Cambodia and showing the proportions for each major player or distributor. rtf (228kb)
A list of breweries & their contact details details
An anonymous summary of beerservers in Cambodia, c 2005. This list provides a partial, incomplete and occasionally erroneous document, but one verifying estimates of nearly 4000 beer servers in Cambodia and showing the proportions for each major player or distributor. rtf 228kb
A sample letter to breweries or download (rtf 8kb)
Heineken Shareholders- this brief's for you! Background information for discussion and motions at April Shareholder's meeting! Heineken shareholder's brief (rtf 88kb) .
