Children's Rights Monitoring Officeinvestigations, support and protection
Children are one of Cambodia's most vulnerable groups, facing numerous threats to their safety and livelihood. Available healthcare is poor and infant mortality rates are high. Literacy levels remain low across all sections of society and access to education is limited. Children are also subjected to violence and exploitation, such as sexual abuse and trafficking. Despite lethal working conditions, poverty drives parents to send their children to work in brick factories and other high-risk industries as child laborers. Child laborers make less than $2 a day and regularly suffer debilitating injuries.
Children also face an enormous struggle in having their rights respected. This is largely because no infrastructure exists culturally or institutionally to protect their rights. The culture of impunity that exists within society and in the judiciary dissuades victims from approaching authorities to pursue perpetrators. The absence of any coordinated state provision of social welfare or rehabilitation support means the burden is placed on the community and civil society to support victims.
What we do
The Children's Rights Monitoring Office aims to respond to the gap that exists in Cambodia to protect the rights of children. The Office's activities include:
- Identifying children's rights violations from victims, witnesses and in the media
- Responding to these abuses by assisting the victim with legal intervention (requesting the police or prosecutor to investigate the case) or referring the victim to another non-governmental organization providing free legal services
- Following up cases with authorities to ensure the relevant steps are taken to investigate and prosecute the perpetrator
- When necessary, appealing to the President of the Court to take action, or taking cases to yet higher levels such as the Ministry of Justice or the Supreme Council of Magistracy
- Coordinating the provision of first aid, counseling, education, food and other basic material support for victims through the Medical Office and Social Work Office
- Working with the Children's Rights Advocacy Office to strengthen Child Protection Groups which educate communities on children's rights abuses, empower children to assert their rights, and provide support to victims at the grassroots level
