Cambodia: Australian unions strive to provide better deal for beer girls

Beer companies are being urged to double the wages they pay Cambodian promotional women in an effort to curb a reliance on prostitution and a rising HIV rate, The Sidney Morning Herald
posted May 27.

In a campaign launched by Australian unions and the aid agency CARE, beer brands including Heineken, Stella Artois, Corona, Becks and Budweiser, are accused of exploiting the women, who unions say rely on prostitution to subsidise their wage.

ACTU president Sharan Burrow thousands of "beer girls" in South-East Asia were subject to sexual assault and violence while working in restaurants and karaoke bars, in costumes of the international brands.

"The beer promotion women wear the costume of an international beer and sell that brand exclusively," Ms Burrow said.

"The women receive about $2 a night for their work or $55 a month, only about half what is needed to support their children and families.

"The low wage means many of the women are forced into prostitution, sometimes after drinking with a client to reach a sales quota."

Ms Burrow said research had found 20 per cent of beer promotion women in Cambodia were HIV positive.

Earlier this year, a 23-year-old woman was shot in the foot by off-duty Cambodian army officers because she was slow in bringing ice for their drinks, Ms Burrow said.

"The women are subject to appalling assaults and violence with four reports of shootings since February this year," she said.

"Unions are also troubled by reports that many well known beer brands are now aggressively expanding their markets into China using similar beer promotion marketing strategies," Ms Burrow said.

Ms Burrow will launch the campaign in Phnom Penh, urging beer companies to provide sexual health education to the women and to contribute to the cost of health care for HIV positive workers.

The unions and CARE also want companies to pay the women a minimum $110 a month.

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