2. When I leave I will never forget; although I live far away my heart is still near and I miss my village; I always miss my home village; I know that it is hard to go back but my heart still has hope.
R. Oh! My village I am away from you now; my heart aches with everlasting sorrow; only my tears can help me; I have to say that I miss you very much.
3. I lift my hand to wave to my friends in school; the teacher and us used to study together; I have to go and work in the factory in the city to earn money; I miss you a lot when I am away from you.
R. When I ride in a taxi I look at the rice field that I have just planted but the soil is cracked; last year it was flooded and I was very sad; this year there is drought and all the rice plants are dying.
4. When I reach the city I am really shocked; so how can I deal with this situation; I have to borrow money from someone to bribe to get a job; and when I receive my salary I have to pay them back quickly
1. I think of the story from the past, passion starts in my heart, it is painful; when domestic violence happens in the family it is very bad; this is created by men with no passion and who hit their wives, and the children also suffer from this act.
2. Stop the act of threatening and oppressing women; women are suffering from rape that happens everywhere and everyday; some rape their own children and some others rape children who are under age (under 18 years old); this is very cruel and bad; so could you (man) please tell me what you think of women?
3. Oh! Mother I am emotionally and physically exhausted and I have no free time; I work even during the holidays because our families are very poor; I feel pity and I am really want to help you mother; but I am very young and this is the age that I have to study.
4. I engage in this work because mom and dad have broken up; I have to stop studying and seek for a job to help the family; I enter into factory work without any free time; they ask us to work overtime at night, sometimes until the next morning.
5. Working hours are different from the stated law; although they know that it is wrong they ignore this; they exploit our labour everyday; because women dare not speak out as we are afraid that we will lose our jobs.
1. They promised us that after three months we would become full time workers; we trust our employer and we work very; but in reality our employers just lie to us; they try to deceive us and dismiss us for any little mistake.
2. Probation workers never eat enough; the salary is just $30; we pay for our health care, rent, utilities and food; it hurts my heart at the end of the month as I cannot send any money home.
R. In the Cambodian Labour Code; all workers become full time after three months; but for me, this was stopped by my supervisor as they accused me of violating the law.
3. Our workers voices appeals for help; we want society to help us with this problem; workers have to stand strong in solidarity; to contend with this oppression and discrimination.
1. Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri and Sat; the workers are in the factory. On Sundays we work overtime so we have no rest; if we are absent, we will get a warning from the factory.
2. Garment workers have no rest; we are away from our parents and friends; we struggle to work even our hearts suffer; so that the lives of our families will be peaceful.
R. We are insulted by society; there is no pity for garment workers like us; we work from early in the morning till the dark of night; we work very hard to earn a few US dollars.
3. Others say garment workers have a bad reputation; because we are poor and our neighbours insult us - that we are not good; it hurts us and this is the fate of garment workers.
1. Why do my tears fall down? Do all of you know? I try to work hard with no rest, because of my family is poor.
2. When I get sick, I hurry to ask permission to get treatment, but my boss shakes their head and says NO! Oh my goodness, they are cruel and never think about us.
Ref. This is the life of garment workers. We dare not take a day off because they will never allow it. We work though we are ill because if we dare to take leave, they will reduce our salaries.
3. Oh my tears! Please stop falling down because it solves nothing. As women, we have to be strong and overcome our hardship.
1. Beautiful verdant greens accompany the blue sky, the sun is rising above the forest. Shining beautifully; you do not have problems like me.
2. I feel very grim because the house owner does not understand me. They put up the price as they want, but what we get is never good.
Ref Look at our room! It is very small and narrow. If more people stay, they charge us more money. They never care about what problems that the workers face, they only care about their pockets.
3. I earn very little from my work, only $30, because I am on probation. If the price of everything goes up like this, I will have nothing to send home to support my family.
Ref At the end of the month, if we do not pay all our rent, the owner notes it charges us interest. As interest they double what we cannot pay, we can't complaint and next month they demand it all.
4. Because we are workers from the rural areas, the owner condemns us that we are not good women; they even forbid their children to talk with us.
1. Such is the life of workers, we are poor people from rural areas, and we never have any free time because we always work. Overtime work keeps us busy because we need this money to pay off our families debts.
2. We work from morning till night with extra overtime, if we do not complete the orders we have to continue working till the next morning. We are sleepy, we can't eat anything and we become sick. Who knows about this situation and can help me?
Ref. Sometimes when we finish overtime and are walking home along the road, the vicious gangsters harass and follow us. We worry constantly and don't know how to protect ourselves.
3. Our lives are a struggle without end, though we face with many difficulties. It is because our economy is poor as are our families. We have to be brave and speak-out.
1. Being a long way from my village, I hurt painfully; I miss my mother; I miss the rice field that I just harvested; I miss everything that my mother told me "Don't be swayed by the bright lights because the neighbours will curse you and say that you are not a good girl".
2. Do you know how much garment workers suffer? We have no choice because we need money and our families are very poor. When I get sick my mother is not near to help and no one else takes care of me. There was rain, thunder, why is cruel karma befalling on us?
R. Forced by my boss to work overtime; I never stop mum. I work, I never know if it is day or night. I budget my salary each month; but after rent, electricity, water and food, there is not much left. This I send home to you my family.
3. I am suffering and cry alone, no one can help me solving this problem. My heart is full of sorrow and sadness, my mind is spinning. I hope that I can survive this and can go back to see my parents
1. We are the garment workers; we do not have free time but we work everyday; we try to work overtime in the day and night; because we are the children of the poor.
2. The salary we get we have to pay for many things; with no money left; I help my mother to pay her debts and I am nearly dead. It is very hard for me to survive.
R. On the other hand we are looked down on by society; they insult us by saying we are bad girls; we live in an unjust world; so do you know how much we, workers, suffer?
3. We are workers in solidarity; we have to get out from this slavery; so it will be better off for us in the future.
Saying:
Stand up all friends; we have to think again; speak-out the truth; we have to be together; whether near or far, to make our lives meaningful.
1. The voice of garment workers must be used to shout to tell all Cambodian women that to be a servant is very difficult. They curse, they blame us and say we are bad girls, but we have no freedom and no rights
2. We are all garment workers, we live in bad conditions, we struggle with difficulty, we are tired but we say nothing, we are hard working and much of this money I earn is dollars to help my mother.
R. The song that we sing is about the real life of garment workers, please pity us and considers the life of garment workers. How are we suffering? We faced with suffering and problems because the factory owners exploit us.
3. When the workers are in trouble, who can help to solve the problems? Where is the justice? When I need you why do you ignore me?
OH! LIFE OF GARMENT WORKERS
1. Oh! Life as garment workers is very hard, because we work day and night; this is because we want to earn some money so that we could help our family's poor living conditions.
2. We leave our villages and stay in Phnom Penh; we suffer a lot and we are away from everyone we love; we rent a room and live alone; we are so full of sorrow.
R. Why is this fate of our lives? We are only young girls and garment workers; other people they insult us, say we are bad girls; that we are poor and we are not respectable.
3. Oh! My fate, it was dealt a long time ago; why do you not feel sympathy for my life at all? My life is very hard; there is no peace in my life, just sorrow.
1. When I am away from my home village, far from my parents; and living in this other world I feel much pain; I work in a factory and it is very harsh; we are all oppressed.
2. We work very hard day and night to earn a few dollars with our labour; for our lives and our families; our body is weak with all the emotional suffering.
R. We owe a debt of gratitude to you, our parents; you are a raft to ferry our fates; but now your children are insulted by your neighbours; they say that all garment workers are not respectable.
3. Please do not insult us; I am a garment worker; I never forget my traditions; I try to remember and hold on to them.
1. This is a true story it is hard to believe; we dedicate it to all women in the world; the life of a garment worker is very complicated and we nearly die; we live without freedom and are discriminated against.
2. We work very hard even when it is hot, cold or we are sick but we still bear with the work; because we are afraid that they will cut our salary or sack us; so our hearts are full of sadness and sorrow.
R. We are nervous of working everyday; oh! What do you think about us (garment worker women?) The quota agreement will finish by 2005, how then will our families survive?
4. Our patriotism is not valued; but it is a value with no comparison; the garment workers help the nation; we are strength to the Cambodian economy.
1. Women's rights is human rights both are equal (men & women), where there is life there is value, there is dignity regardless classes, although they are poor or rich all is valued that's right.
........ Women's rights ........ We meet together .......... We have solidarity ...... we struggle for our rights that's right.
2. What are we? We all are women we sing together to show our solidarity, we have to stand up and speak out, do not stand still, to demand our freedom that we should have, that's right.
........ Women's rights ........ We meet together .......... We have solidarity ...... we struggle for our rights that's right.
3. We are enthusiastic because we met together, we understood together, on behalf of we are women, although we are poor or rich, have a job or engage any other business, but we all are women, we have to help each other to promote our rights........ That's rights.
........ Women's rights ........ We meet together .......... We have solidarity ...... we struggle for our rights that's right.
4. We meet together to make only one heart/voice, to promote women's rights to be respectful, to be equal as men and bright full, have freedom for all races, .... That's rights.
I- Oh my life, why has it been bitter? Always had the problem in my heart, is this the real life of the women? Living in darkness and always facing struggles.
II- Since I left my home, I have always regretted left behind my dear parent I am lonely and live alone with nobody to depend upon my destiny depends on money's claws.
R- Money's claws captures my life making my heart fly in circle never reaching the shore I want to be free but I cannot be oh, friend please pity me.
III- Friends, please do not blame me. I bear great sadness in exchange for dollars in this world. No woman wants to live in a difficult life I have kept this sadness in my life.
I- How is the women's life? I live far a way from my parents and had to leave the lovely rice field. Because of dollars I hide myself for sex services and nobody cares a bout that.
II- When will I leave this situation? (Sadness, muddy and ......). Uncle, aunt, grandparents please forget me.
R- I shout and ask everybody, please forgive and pity on me. Think again, do not curse or punish me because in this word women do not wish to be in the troubled life.
III- These are our sins, so we must be strong and struggle in order to face the situation. How could I change, which way could I walk? Please help to guide me because I want to be lucky like other women.
I- I sleep and waiting for a lucky day but I don't know when it will come and I can leave far a way from the sin. In my life I have never been happy and lived with happiness.
II- Many people look down on the poor and say "The poor live are very difficulties", so what they said is correct. When will we leave from those difficulties?
R- No body cares or has a pity on a woman's heart and no-one cares for me. Every time they curse and look down on me and now I know about a bitter life.
III- I am very sad and my tears go out , but nobody help me to think about my bitter life only myself but I must be patient and live with the pain as the kite flies in the sky.
I- My life as a water stream, though I was struggling but I still painful when I was beautiful they loved me but when I lost my beauty, they left me alone.
II- I was decided, I was very painful. My tears fall down, my life is seen as a toy and I sold my love for money.
R- I was very regretted that I lost my beauty because I forced myself to sell my body to support family's living. I was away from my true love, the world was very bad, and the sun please stops shining.
III- I was very painful in my heart. It was very dark, no light at all, though I tried to do good thing but it still stained with past experience.
I- I have had bad fate in my life since I was born; my life has been different from others. Always facing unhappiness, I bear the family's burden; I bear the shame and sell my voice.
II- I became a karaoke girl I sing in the karaoke bar I don't want to be here but I am poor. Please don't blame me for being bed I have tried to live in this darkness.
R- Though I work day and night and never resting, I am still poor I was in debt to the owner. If I take rest, they reduce my money.
III- The tears of a karaoke girl I am living as a slave, without freedom. I was mistreated by the owner and forced to serve clients.
I- Karaoke girl's life are not bed, every body must not curse or look down on us because we also want to live in happiness and wish to be free as you but can't. So you must have a pity on and forgive us.
II- We do everything for our family, we have never cared a bout our heath. if someone need our life, we will sell it. I expected that many people would do like us. Because we want our parents, sister, grandparents and brothers to be happy not are in trouble.
III- We sing this song in order to ask everybody, please forgive and have a pity on women who are in trouble like us. You must be remembering that we are only human and that everyday we face poor unsheltered life and full of sadness. No one could avoid this.
IV- However we work as sex worker or Karaoke girls, it is not illegal work because every woman has the same rights to work. Finally, we would like to call for support and to say "Every one has rights to be equal" and we would like to leave this message to the next generation.
I- End of my life, no laughing, no crying, no insulting, no blaming but forgiving because of my fate.
II- Bad experiences in my life, criminal and cruel because of dollars, now I became a bar girl because of dollars killing my heart.
R- This is the life of a bar girl in the world faced with the boy who were deceived and unforgiving when will I would have good fate as other women.
III- When I would be free from this problem and from sex industry and stopped working as a bar girl nonsense in my life.
I- Oh.... No woman in this world doesn't want to live in comfort, with cars and money and happiness. All women want in heaven, where is enough food to eat.
II- Oh... but these are just dreams. It's like we are living in hell. There are walls that we cannot escape, facing HIV and AIDS.
III- Oh... please forgive the women selling their bodies. Dollars are the bridge we need to support our families. We are poor and we have no food. We are suffering because we don't have access to medicine.
IV- We thank every one pities us and we empower ourselves to gain solidarity to escape death.
V- We are determined to think well of our families and to help ourselves and work with other who help empower us that HIV and AIDS will not kill us.
