PHNOM PENH, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and his wife Bun Rany on Tuesday attended an event marking the 108th anniversary of the March 8 International Women's Day.

Speaking to about 3,000 participants here, Hun Sen urged relevant ministries, authorities and non-governmental organizations to work together closely to eliminate violence against women and girls.

The prime minister also highlighted women's roles in public sector, politics, economics, labor force and education.

"Cambodia is a country that has a high rate of women taking part in labor force, up to 79 percent," he said.

"And 64 percent of small and medium enterprise (SME) owners are women," he added.

Women's Affairs Minister Ing Kantha Phavi said the number of women who participate in politics had increased in the past year.

Last year, 19.3 percent of senators, 20 percent of the members of parliament (MPs) and 10 percent of expert commission members at the parliament were women, she said.

"Moreover, the number of female commune chiefs have increased from 42 in 2002 to 130 among 1,646 commune chiefs last year," she said.