Abortion was legalised in Cambodia in 1997, yet available information and research shows that women hesitate to access safe abortion services, and even when they access them, they are highly stigmatised within their communities for having an abortion. Part of this stigma is cultural – a majority of Cambodians are Buddhist which considers it sinful to have an abortion. Lack of information about how women and their communities understand and perceive abortions, women who have abortions, and abortion service providers has resulted in limited knowledge about the implications of abortion. This study was undertaken to measure the awareness of abortion legality and levels of stigma and discrimination around abortion in Siem Reap and Campot provinces of Cambodia.
