Memorial list of "beer girls" & entertainment industry colleagues in Siem Reap - prepared by Tra Tim, Pan Sophear, Srei Neang & Jillian Schuster.

YOU CAN SUPPORT THE HIV/AIDS PREVENTION WORK IN CAMBODIA THROUGH A CHARITABLE DONATION.

Announcing 2015 Cambodia Internships. Join SiRCHESI staff and Prof. Ian Lubek in Siem Reap for 17-day supervised intensive research and health promotion experience. Registration is first come, first serve with a US$250 non-refundable deposit. 3 places remain for February and 4 for August 2015. APPLY for an internship NOW! Download the 2015-brochure(pdf-file,5.5MB)

www.beergirls.org tells the stories of the women beer sellers in Cambodia. Cambodian Beer Sellers (called locally "beer girls", a derogatory term, or "beer promoters" or "promotion girls" by their companies) exclusively sell one brand of beer in bars and restaurants. Some work on commission and others receive a monthly salary; either way, they earned only $US81. Evidence-driven "living wages" ($208 monthly in 2009) --sufficient to feed family-- would add an additional annual cost of $1500 to each beer seller's salary. 

To supplement their income, about half accept propositions from tourists and local beer drinkers and exchange sex for money.

Condom use following beer drinking is reduced and as a high risk group HIV/AIDS prevalence rates 20% (1995-2003). While they sold on average, in 2009, $16,000 worth of beer (varying by brands) , they were paid $972 p.a. and without a "living wage" could not afford to feed their families nor pay themselves for life-prolonging antiretrovirals; without the latter, death often followed from 3 months to 2 years after diagnosis. They were easily replaced with new young women from the countryside, often with less than 1 hour of training. More insidious than even HIV/AIDS has been chronic workplace alcoholism or dependency, with women drinking hazardous and harmful quantities of alcohol - 4-6 standard drinks, 27 nights per month.

Most beer companies though aware of government reports, research (Green & Lubek, 2010: Lubek et al, 2003) and press stories, have so far declined to play fair with these women. Prior to 2006, all companies described them as 'promotional or advertising costs' in their annual reports, rather than as salaried or commissioned workers or subcontractors, under the Cambodian Labour Code.

The beer companies have failed to 1) pay "living" wages, 2) provide timely health education, 3) provide company health benefits, including antiretroviral treatments as needed, and 4) provide a safe, healthy and secure workplace, free of violence and harassment. See SiRCHESI's April 2010 press release (pdf) for more information.

For more detailed accounts of how one local NGO, SiRCHESI (sponsored in part by private donors) works in Siem Reap to prevent HIV/AIDS in groups at high risk, please visit www.angkorwatngo.com

Read about SiRCHESI's recent accomplishments with beer sellers and other members of the Siem Reap community in the SiRCHESI newsletter (pdf-file,600kB)

Company case study:	Cambodian 'beer promotion women' and corporate caution, recalcitrance or worse? Lubek, I. (2005) read in pdf 83 kb. Read the unsanitized version (53 kb) 'Just dying for a beer' (Lubek 2004 copyright) which removes some anonymity. Heineken's own HIV/AIDS policy (read in RTF or PDF) still not implemented for Cambodian Beer promotion women). (Read press reports Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad articles about Cambodian and Chinese beer promotion women and Promotion girls/beer?).
"Beer girl study":		In Memoriam: Srei Neamb (1972-2002). Meghan McCourt and Pam Traut. Read in Rich Text Format
Online stories	Bitter Story of Restaurant Hostess (28 July 07) Online report at www.vuthasurf.com Beer Promotion Girl’s Career (9 July 07) Online report at www.vuthasurf.com

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