Background

The Cambodia–Thailand border crisis in 2025 displaced hundreds of thousands of people in two major waves. Following renewed hostilities in December, nearly 650,000 people were displaced, with women and children among the most affected. Although many families began returning home in January 2026, more than 140,000 people remained in displacement sites or with host communities.

A joint Early Recovery Assessment identified Gender-Based Violence (GBV) as a key protection concern. While referral systems and protection mechanisms existed, they were not being fully utilized, and frontline responders often lacked the practical skills needed to apply GBV in Emergencies (GBViE) principles in real-life situations.

The Challenge

UNFPA initially conducted workshops on the Inter-Agency Minimum Standards for GBViE to strengthen knowledge among government officials, humanitarian actors, and service providers. Although participants gained a better understanding of GBV principles, survivor-centred approaches, and referral pathways, field visits revealed a gap between knowledge and practice.

Frontline actors including camp management committees, Commune Committees for Women and Children (CCWC), community volunteers, local authorities, and service providers were often the first point of contact for survivors. However, many lacked confidence in responding to disclosures, making referrals, and coordinating support effectively.

As one camp leader noted:

“We understood the concepts from the training, but we were not always sure how to respond when a real situation happened in the camp.”

The Solution: Mentorship in Displacement Sites

To bridge this gap, UNFPA introduced an on-site mentorship approach in four displacement camps across Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey Provinces.

Instead of classroom-based learning, mentors worked directly with frontline responders in the camps, helping them apply GBViE principles through practical exercises and real-life problem-solving. Participants included camp management committees, CCWC members, community volunteers, women’s representatives, local authorities, service providers, and humanitarian partners.

Activities included safety audits, service mapping, referral pathway reviews, and discussions with women and girls to identify protection risks.

For example, women highlighted poorly lit pathways and unsafe access to communal latrines at night, leading to immediate coordination and action to improve safety measures.

Results

The mentorship programme strengthened both individual capacity and coordination systems. Key achievements included:

• 123 frontline responders received mentorship support.
• Service mapping was completed in all targeted camps.
• Referral pathways were updated, understood, and actively used.
• Safety audits identified  key protection risks.
• Coordination among government authorities, humanitarian partners, and communities improved.
• Frontline responders gained confidence in identifying and referring survivors.
• Women and girls reported greater awareness of available services.

Most importantly, camps moved beyond having trained individuals to establishing functional, survivor-centred coordination systems capable of responding effectively to GBV risks and incidents.

Key Lesson

The Cambodia experience demonstrated that training alone is not enough to strengthen GBViE response. While workshops build knowledge, mentorship helps frontline responders translate that knowledge into practice by providing hands-on support in real-world settings.

Workshops build knowledge, but mentorship builds confidence, coordination, and action.

This approach offers a practical model for strengthening GBViE preparedness and response in future humanitarian emergencies.