Theary C. SENG giving her "Poverty is Not Fate" speech to 90,000 live audience, millions of TV viewers (Rostock, Germany. July 2007).On 7 June 2007, German rock legend Herbert Groenenmeyer, U2's Bono, Bob Geldof and civil society umbrella organization Global Call to Action against Poverty organized the P-8 Rock Concert in Rostock, Germany to highlight the plight of the world's poor, to coincide with the G-8 Summit where the leaders of the world richest countries were meeting in nearby, seaside Heiligendamm. I represented Cambodia, one of the "Poor 8" countries invited, along with Bangladesh, represented by Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus. Following is my speech to an electric crowd of 80,000 and several million more TV viewers.
Hallo Rostock!
My name is Theary Seng and I run the Center for Social Development in Cambodia. The Center for Social Development is a Cambodian human rights NGO which monitors 7 courts (including the Khmer Rouge Tribunal), advocates for good governance and accountability (many times with Transparency International) and conducts grassroots dialogue with villagers all over Cambodia on Justice & Reconciliation. One of our main donors is Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst.
I stand united with you today to resoundingly proclaim: Poverty is not fate. Poverty is not destiny. Poverty is man-made; it results from the greed and arrogance of power, poor governance and ill-conceived policies. Today, we join voices against the scourge of poverty and to urge the G-8 leaders to be more mindful of Cambodians, and the less fortunate of this world.
Yes, Cambodia is back -but not everyone. In Cambodia, 35 percent live on less than 50 US cents a day.
Lack of education causes poverty
Enrollment is up, but we have one in two Cambodian child not completing primary school. The girls are most vulnerable to dropping out first because of the lack of toilets -10 Million out of 14 Million Cambodians do not have access to toilets - or the girls are needed at home to care for sick family or they are trafficked and sold into prostitution or they have to work to supplement the family income. In Cambodia, education is supposed to be free, but students must often supplement teachers' meager salary of $30 a month.
War causes poverty
Poverty causes war. We, in Cambodia, had to start literally from the Year Zero, when almost 2 million Cambodians died as a result of the Khmer Rouge, including my parents - my dad immediately when the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975, and my mom later when we were in prison and I was 7 years old.
Corruption causes poverty
In Cambodia, the Anti-Corruption Law has been in draft form since 1995; 12 years later, still no political will, still no law. Now we struck oil, and fear the Resource Curse. If big businesses control more and more of the world's resources, they must bear social responsibility. Let them start with transparency of information of what they pay to government, and let us join the Publish What You Pay movement to pressure them to do so.
Environmental destruction causes poverty
At least 30% of Cambodia's dense, tropical forests have been illegally depleted by the rich and powerful. Last Sunday, Global Witness - which the government has banned from the country for its past reports - released via the internet another scathing report. On my way to join you here, the Cambodian government again threatens confiscation.
Landlessness causes poverty
The Cambodian poor face illegal evictions, or they are forced to sell their land cheaply to pay for health care and life's unexpected crises.
The G-8 leaders believe they can judge our future. In Cambodia, we are currently trying to judge our past for our future. But at least, the G-8 are 8 individuals who control and possess power; in Cambodia, there's only one.
So, today, let us be reminded: Poverty is not destiny. Poverty many times is man-made. Poverty is the worst form of violence. Hence, let us do everything in our power to fight against this worst form of violence. Amidst the poverty, there's also much beauty in Cambodia; come visit us. We still need your help.
And today onward, ich bin eine Rostockerin! Danke schön
Theary C. Seng
Theary C. SENG before her speech on stage at P-8 Rock Concert (Rostock, Germany), July 2007.
Theary C. SENG with Bono at Press Conference before the P-8 Rock Concert (Rostock, Germany. July 2007).
Bono with Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus (Rostock, Germany. July 2007).
Theary C. SENG with Sir Bob Geldof (remember 'We are the World' rock concerts of the 1980s) at the Press Conference (Rostock, Germany. July 2007).
German rock legend Herbert Gronenmeyer who organized this P-8 Rock Concert (Rostock, Germany. July 2007).
Theary C. SENG behind the stage during the day-long rock concert to raise awareness of world poverty with the G-8 leaders meeting in Heiligendamm (Rostock, Germany. July 2007).
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