Reaching out to migrant households during COVID-19 outbreak: the increasing need of social workers in Cambodia

ABSTRACT

Cambodia, a lower-middle-income country in Southeast Asia, reported 275 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Despite lower reported cases, COVID-19 impacts Cambodian socio-economic systems in profound ways. With more than 1.1 million Cambodians having migrated abroad and low-income families in rural Cambodia relying heavily on remittances, the sudden loss of jobs caused by the pandemic raised an important question on how migrant households are prioritised among the rising society-wide needs. Given the profound lack of social workers in Cambodia, while highlighting their essential roles at the frontline in response to the ongoing and future pandemic response, professional and the community-based social work must be expanded and promoted through multisectoral collaboration between governmental bodies and NGOs to ensure the sustainable development of quality social work in Cambodia.

KEYWORDS:

• Migration
• social work
• COVID-19 outbreak
• epidemic
• Cambodia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Thida Kim

Ms. Thida Kim holds a master degree in family and developmental psychology and master degree in Gender and Development Studies. She is currently a research coordinator in Louvain cooperation Cambodia.

Yao Fu

Dr Yao Fu holds a Ph.D. degree in social work from the University of Hong Kong, and is currently a post-doctoral research fellow in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong. She is a registered social worker in Hong Kong.

Sokunnara Thlen

Ms. Sokunnara Thlen holds a master degree in development studies and a master degree in clinical psychology. She is currently a researcher in Louvain cooperation Cambodia.

Amaury Peeters

Dr Amaury Peeters holds a Ph.D. degree in agricultural sciences, and is currently the head of research and development at Louvain Cooperation, the University NGO of UCLouvain in Belgium and works in 8 countries.

Kolitha Wickramage

Dr Kolitha Wickramage holds a Ph.D. degree in public health from University of NSW, Sydney, Australia. He is currently a global health research and epidemiology coordinator in Global Administrative Centre of International Organization for Migration.

Lucy P. Jordan

Dr Lucy P. Jordan holds a Ph.D. degree in social work from the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. She is currently an associate professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration and an associate dean of Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Hong Kong.