Name: Khut Ney
Nationality: Cambodian
What can the government and NGOs do to ensure that children in disadvantaged situations are best protected from harms, including child prostitution/trafficking/exploitation and other forms of abuse?

 For many years and centuries, many children in Cambodia have been affected greatly mainly by adults in several areas including corporal punishment, child prostitution, child trafficking, child exploitation, child molestation, and many forms of abuse. Year after year, little is done by government and NGOs in this country in helping these abused children especially those disadvantaged. In reflection on these ideas, what do you think our future leaders are going to be if our disadvantaged children are being abused in these ways? Is there a hope for our children to turn into responsible adults? Are we proud of children developing under these kinds of lives? Perhaps our country have overlooked over this matter and I feel now is the time where disadvantaged children’s lives can be turned around by cooperative efforts of the government and NGOs. In this paper, I clearly states out what the Cambodian government, as well as other government that might be experiencing the similar situation, and NGOs can do to protect disadvantaged children from being abused in many areas.

Children’s lives are very precious in every culture and nation. This is simply because, they are our future people. Even though this point is clearly understood by almost everyone, we tend to act contrary to this important concept. This comes in ignorant acts exhibited in child abuse forms such as molestation, exploitation, prostitution etc. Furthermore, children who experience this are those usually in disadvantaged situations such as orphans, disabled children, poor children and other situations.  

The “What, Who, Why, Where and How Child Protection Approach” is what I feel the government and NGOs can cooperatively implement to protect disadvantaged children from harms such as child prostitution/trafficking/exploitation and other forms of abuse. The government and NGOs should:

1.      Identify WHAT (all, if possible) kinds of disadvantageous situations children face: The government should, in corroboration with NGOs, establish a frame work or organizations which can specifically identify, if possible all, disadvantageous situations that make some children be victims. These could need well-structured methodologies that should discover all disadvantageous situations children face such as in

·         Families

·         Government ministries (education, health, religion, communication, businesses etc.)

·         Compounds and streets for those who are destitute

·         Etc

This could be an important starting point of child protection especially when thorough reports are given containing disadvantaged child experiences re-enforced by their testimonies, pictures of locations where they live, statistics, what contributes to the disadvantage situation and several other research data.

2.      Identify WHAT kind of  abuses disadvantaged children face: In relation to the first one, the kind of child abuse such as exploitation, prostitution, corporal punishment, exploitation and others should be codified and structure so that protection implementation procedures are specific and target the right kind of people. Therefore, the government and NGOs should see to it that this is structured also even though kinds of exploitations are well known.

3.      Identify WHO abuses these disadvantaged children and WHO are the children abused with respect to disadvantaged experiences they face: We all know it’s the adults who mainly abuse children. But this should not be the focus of this research. The government should specifically identify different groups of individual abusing children so that when approaches for protection are devised, they are specific and applicable to the right people. In particular, adult who abuse children include:

a.       Parents

b.      Business men/women

c.       Teachers

d.      Relatives

e.       Street people

f.       Etc.

All these should be categorized in a structure that allows protection measures to be effective. Also kind of abuse in relation to this might need to be a very cautious action as some investigative activities by government authorities might need to kick in is situations like child trafficking and prostitution.

4.      Identify WHY disadvantaged children end up the arms their abusers, WHY Adults abuses children and WHY disadvantageous situations children experiences make them be victims of abuse: This is also an important part that the government and NGOs should research to understand the extent of abuse children face. This would even involve participation of all government ministries and all faculties. For example, why are children abused in families, why parents or guardians abuse children and/or why some disadvantageous situations such as death of parents, poor parenting, lack of education, lack of child health services, lack of financial support, conflicts and ethnic, social and religious backgrounds lead to child abuse. The research on the why part may be the largest body of this study and may involve most professions such as teachers, health workers and other civil government workers as well as NGOs workers. Also some reasons of child abuse should be addressed critically for some cases such as child trafficking and prostitution. The why part might also provide useful information on how to specifically protect children from abuses the face in a more specific way than if it wasn’t done.

5.      Identify/locate WHERE children are abused: Government and NGOs should be able to locate and concentrate where, and probably when, children are exposed to abuse. This could help them, if possible, to prioritize target groups of children who are victims of abuse. This is because, different abuse forms takes place in different areas and during different periods. For example, school child abuse is different from home child abuse. This might help also to specifically prioritize protection measures to the right victims in an efficient and/or effective way.

6.      Identify HOW disadvantaged children are abused:  This part should probably collaborate with point number 4. NGOs and governments should outline how children are abused based on life experiences, age and on different forms of abuse. This could also help determine and improve protective measures depending on the extent and impact of abuse to children when they are devised.

7.      Devise methodologies of HOW children can protection based on the type of abuse and kind of disadvantage situation a particular child faces:  This might effectively take place after collection of data on what or type of disadvantage life situation a child faces, what type of an abuse, who is abusing them, why they are being abused, where and how they are being abused. This might need careful examination as it might the last step before the implementation of protective measures. This might comprise of a large amount of data and take several intellectual structures,  one of which is an example below:

A.    Responsibilities of adults towards children

a.       Pareting style

o   Reduce child labor/ Value children in the society

o   Discipline/Education

o   Conduct seminary about parenting styles to adults

o   Take good care of children

o   Education on parenting styles and values

o   Guidance

b.      Child registration

o   Health care

o   Child Insuarance and Support

o   Social services

o   Education

B.     Protection of adults towards children

a.       Law-based approach

a.       Confirm with all child support organisations across the country

b.      Implement what is acceptable and what is not

c.       Devise ways of eliminating child abuse

b.      Networking  on child protection

o    Media (TV, radio, newspapers, etc.)

o   Streets advertisement

o   Create positive poems about child rights

o   School (privates and governments)

o   More banner

o   Broadcasting about child rights and problems of any forms of abuse on child to all regions

c.       Team-commitment

o   Set the best example

o   Go out and promote child rights

o   Child lecture

d.      Create communication center call numbers

o   Children should also know what their rights are

o   There should be a place/number that children can call in case of emergency of abuse

o   Children have to know that there are people backing them up, and they are not alone

o   A way of building partnerships between public and NGO or private sectors for children, by coming up with programs cooperatively. Also, having events together can help to encourage the community to work together in abolishing child prostitution/ trafficking/ exploitation and other forms of abuses

C.     Participation of a child towards their own rights 

a.       Conduct child semninar  about their rights

b.      Allow them to invovle activity

c.       Explain the human right to them

d.      Identify their role

8.      Implementation and Evaluation of Child Protection Policies: This might probably take a law enforcement action by the government and many ways of implement the protection measures in case of NGOs. A lot of effort is needed and this might call for individual participation and for everyone to work hand in hand to help children who are victims of abuse. Financial resources together with other resources may be needed to set this course to take action. This should be a country wide procedure that the government should see that it is running. Also, all implemented activities after some time might need evaluation. This is necessary to monitor the progress if protection measures against child abuse. This also creates a framework for changes that might take place in eliminating or modifying existing protective measures if not effective and other changes necessary.

Conclusion

In the above ways of ensuring child protection, the “What, Who, Why, Where and How Child Protection Approach” suggested, could be a call to alarm child protection that has been neglected for many years. This approach’s sequence might be altered and changed to suit research methodologies of the government and NGOs if necessary. But in essence, each and every point is quite significant and should not be overlooked when setting ground research methodology by the government. Problems concerning children are the ones scattered around the country and yet adults do not completely see them as significant. They tend to disrespectful to children and they tend to control and use child rights in different concepts or forms of reality. So this critical thoughts and actions may have affected and eroded children’s rights down into the bottom.  But this time is when we as parents, guardians, teachers, the government and NGOs need to wake up and stand for child protection. Their knowledge and ability keep changing from one stage to another. Each stage has its own weaknesses and strengthens, but they are our future. One source said that “We value childhood as a special time of growth and change, and we invest great resources in caring for and educating our children” (John, Santrock. 2008). When we protect our children’s right and their lives we are protecting our future generation. Isn’t it a great thing to do?