When Khmer Became a Target: Censorship of SRHR Online

By Catherine Harry

For many years, censorship around SRHR and sex education in Cambodia came in the form of societal censorship. People used euphemisms for everything—from sex to menstruation and genitals. Although sex education is included in the school curriculum, it was never taught in a comprehensive or non-stigmatizing way. The core of it was: young people shouldn't have sex (especially women, because it's immoral unless you're married), menstruation is dirty, and abstinence is best.

Because of this, young people have very little knowledge of sex education and SRHR, especially from a sex-positive angle. As they grow into adults, they're still unaware of SRHR—even when they have experienced sex and even childbearing themselves. Ask women in Cambodia, including those who have given birth, whether they knew a woman has three openings (the urethra, vaginal opening, and anus), and many would express their shock.

A video about the male G-spot was hit with an age-restriction months after it was uploaded:

However, despite all the societal censorship, the digital space and social media weren't as censored. While this meant it became a breeding ground for misinformation, it also meant accurate information could float freely. The algorithm didn't flag SRHR and sex ed content because Khmer was a language that social media platforms had limited training on. Until now.

Since 2024, censorship on social media when it comes to sex education content in Khmer has been increasing. Meta ads on abortion are being rejected, and posts are flagged—even retroactively. As AI improves its detection in more and more languages, it also means the languages that could bypass censorship before are now being targeted, too. This also means people who previously relied on social media for information on SRHR are being denied access to the knowledge they need to exercise their bodily autonomy and reproductive journey.

Why now? For years, Khmer content wasn’t a priority for Big Tech’s moderation systems, so much of the online conversation around SRHR was left untouched. But as AI moderation expands into more languages, Khmer is suddenly being scanned under rules that already misclassify sexual health terms as harmful or pornographic. Combined with retroactive scanning of older posts and longstanding cultural pressures to silence conversations about sex and reproduction, this shift means that educational content in Khmer is now disproportionately flagged, restricted, or removed.

Have you experienced any censorship in your region or language? Let us know by reporting instances of censorship is one way we can let Big Tech know that we're not accepting this.

But on top of that, amplifying each other's voices when we experience censorship strengthens the movement, too—because then we can show it's not just an isolated incident.

You can get in touch with Repro Uncensored and follow the page for more information.