These Short Films by Young Cambodian Men Aim to Stop Sexual Harassment

Screenshot from one of the short films depicting the impact of sexual harassment on women. Source: YouTube

A recent campaign challenged young male filmmakers to reflect on sexual harassment and the urgent need to stop it. The result is the production of more than a dozen short films exposing the scourge of sexual harassment and its negative impact on victims and society at large.

Behind the campaign was CARE, an international NGO that does advocacy work in Cambodia. CARE launched #WhyStop activities across Cambodia encouraging men to understand why sexual harassment must stop, and that they have a direct role in ending violence against women.

CARE chose 16 short films made by filmmakers aged 16 to 29 that send a clear and powerful message about stopping sexual harassment. Here’s a preview of some of these films.

‘7 colors underwear’

‘7 colors underwear’ is by 18-year old Khan Khav from Battambang. The film, selected by CARE as the best entry in the #WhyStop campaign, tells the story of a top achiever in school who stopped going to classes after experiencing sexual harassment:

‘One touch’

This film by Stephen Row from the capital city of Phnom Penh narrates the tragic story of a student and waitress who is sexually molested by a professor. The film ends with this message: “One touch can change everything.”

‘The day it happened’

This film by 16-year old Long Sovitou is about a teenager who is traumatized after being harassed in a café:

‘Your 7 reasons’

Thong Phynuch’s film explains the meaning of sexual harassment and mentions seven reasons why men should support the campaign to end gender violence:

‘Pain’

Chea Sideith’s film tackles the effect of sexual violence in the workplace:

‘Oudom’

The film ‘Oudom’ features a teenager son reading a letter of his deceased father reminding him to respect women in society:

‘If she's your sister’

And finally, this film by Run Sokheng is about two students who realized their mistake when one of their classmates told them to think about their sisters when they are harassing their female friends.