DescriptionThis thesis focuses on the empowerment of women in the Cambodian legal system as participants in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) and as advocates of gender and human rights. These preliminary findings will lay the foundation for a larger dissertation, which will further explore the role of women as peace builders in post-conflict societies. The research highlights local applications of gender and human rights through the participation of female civil parties in a court of international standards (ECCC). International human rights conventions have been embedded in the Khmer Rouge Tribunal at the ECCC, allowing victims of Democratic Kampuchea (women in particular) to exercise their full legal rights on an equal basis before the law. For the first time, an ad-hoc court of this nature has been established to seek truth, justice, and reparations for crimes against humanity, including torture, starvation, forced marriage, mass killing, genocide, war crimes, and other crimes committed by former Democratic Kampuchea leaders from 1975 to 1979. Through in-depth interviews, transcripts of court hearings, and participant observations, my research has shown that the ECCC has been instrumental in localizing the global concept of human rights within the Cambodian court system. In the process, female civil parties have fully exercised their legal rights as participants in the court proceedings, providing a comprehensive historical account that has been crucial to the prosecutions of Cases 001 and 002. Testifying before the court enabled these women to heal their wounds and forgive the accused, both of which are prerequisites for the achievement of peace and reconciliation within the country. Cambodia women have been agents of peace since the end of the conflict in 1979; through their participation in the ECCC, they have expanded their influence by playing a pivotal role in ending past impunity and ensuring that justice is served on behalf of the victims and survivors of Democratic Kampuchea. Their efforts in this regard have contributed significantly to sustainable peace in Cambodia.