Rith Teav's Journey: Empowering Young Cambodians in the Workplace and Beyond

Young Cambodians face challenges in employment due to the high demand for jobs and limited supply, as well as a lack of necessary skills and education. Many have to start working after high school due to financial constraints and are often unaware of labour laws, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. Rith Teav learned how to ensure rights at work are respected when she participated in a Youth Rights at Work for Young Entrepreneurs training provided by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The programme is part of Decent Employment for Youth in Cambodia (DEY), a joint UN initiative to support young Cambodians to obtain decent and productive employment opportunities.

In the 2010s, Teav was excited to get her first job as a waitress at a local restaurant in Siem Reap City, but she signed her employment contract without reading it due to nervousness and a lack of understanding. This experience is still common for many young people in Cambodia when they are recruited.

"We usually did not care about our employment contract at all, even though we know it is important – I did not care to read everything in the contract, such as terms and conditions, requirements, what I am getting and what I am not. I did not know, and I thought the employers decide everything," Teav shared, reflecting on her thoughts at the time of her first contract. 

Rith Teav, 28 years old, is a Social Supervisor and a Trainer at a hospitality training centre in Siem Reap. She teaches young trainees hospitality skills and soft skills such as effective communication, critical thinking, and career planning. Teav's goal is to ensure her trainees become qualified employees and good citizens in Cambodian society.

Teav is a curious person, and she keeps learning. She believes that to teach the younger generation in her centre, she also needs to keep learning new things. Representing her organization in her capacity as a management team member, Teav participated in training on Youth Rights at Work for Young Entrepreneurs provided by the International Labour Organization (ILO). She learned about labour law, rights and responsibilities at work of young people versus employers' rights and obligations. Despite representing her employer in training, Teav also put herself forward as a young employee who must be aware of her labour rights and her responsibility at the workplace.

"Knowing my employee and employer's rights has given me confidence in the workplace. I feel secure advocating for our rights at work because I am knowledgeable and no longer afraid to share my opinions with my employer. I feel empowered", said Teav. 

As a result of her training and new-found knowledge, positive changes occurred in her workplace. She utilized her understanding of labour laws to negotiate additional private insurance for all staff and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). Her employer now contributes to the NSSF pension scheme.

Teav is very proud of these changes, and as a Trainer and Social Supervisor, she also has an essential role in passing what she knows to her students.

Teav believes that Cambodians who start working at a young age should have access to vocational and soft skills training and education on labour laws to prepare themselves well before entering the labour market, protect themselves and advocate for their rights. By providing targeted education and outreach, young workers can demand fair treatment and help build Cambodia's more equitable labour market.

The Joint UN Decent Employment for Youth Phase 2 (DEY II), funded by SDC and implemented by four UN Agencies: ILO, UNESCO, UNICEF, and UNIDO, are supporting young women and men to obtain decent and productive employment through being better prepared to meet labour market demands and for quality employment. The ILO has conducted training on Youth Rights at Work for Young Entrepreneurs within DEY II's framework. The aim is to empower young people by promoting youth rights in their workplaces. Read more about DEY II.