Children's Rights Office
a participatory approach to promoting children’s rights

 Go to Photo AlbumChildren are one of Cambodia's most vulnerable groups, facing numerous threats to their safety and livelihood. The psychological impact of Cambodia's murderous Khmer Rouge regime and years of civil war are often passed down from parent to child. Available healthcare is poor and infant mortality rates are high. Literacy levels remain low across all sections of society and access to education – especially beyond primary school – is limited for many Cambodian children.

In addition, children are the subject of violence and exploitation such as sexual abuse, trafficking and dangerous forms of child labor.

LICADHO recorded over 140 cases of child rape in 2004. The number of cases reported to LICADHO increases every year, either due to an increasing number of incidents or possibly to greater willingness on the part of children and their families to report abuses. Sadly, the age of victims appears to be falling, with girls as young as 4 and 5 being raped. In one case in 2004, a child of just 14 months was raped. Sadly, most of these cases don't result in convictions due to out-of-court cash settlements and the climate of impunity in Cambodia.


 Go to Photo AlbumTrafficking of children, usually for sexual exploitation or labor, is another serious abuse which the Children's Rights Office helps to prevent. Trafficking refers to the movement of human beings using force or deception for pleasure or a profit to the person who traffics them.

As in many developing countries, Cambodian children are poorly paid or unpaid for their work. In many cases, child labor is important to the family's survival and so cases must be addressed in the context of extreme poverty. Child labor should be evaluated according to the way it affects a child's life, from relatively benign work that is not physically or mentally harmful to the child, to labor which negatively affects the child's health and future.

LICADHO's Response

LICADHO monitors child labor to prevent its worst forms

Monitoring and protecting children

The office monitors the situation of children in Cambodia by compiling statistics of violations based on complaints reported to LICADHO as well as articles in the media. LICADHO investigates the most serious incidents, compels authorities to rescue children in abusive situations, and assists children and families to prosecute the offenders. The Children's Rights Office provides short term support to child victims and their families, with services such as health care, food and material assistance. Victims and their families are referred to other organizations for assistance that is beyond the means of LICADHO, such as psychological care.

Workshops relevant to people's lives

In order to increase the public's understanding of children's rights and the abuses they may face, the office conducts training for government officials and other target groups on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). These two and three-day workshops use participatory learning methods which make the concepts easier to understand and more relevant to people's lives. Participants plan practical ways to implement specific articles of the CRC. In addition, LICADHO supports the advocacy activities of other NGOs by supplying CRC educational materials for International Children's Days (June 1) and other events.

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Provincial networks and protection groups

Another way the Children's Rights Office reaches out to the community is through the creation of provincial networks of local officials, parents and children who monitor their community for abuses against children. The networks begin with a two-day advocacy workshop, which provide participants with tools to identify harmful child labor, sexual exploitation and other abuses. From these forums, separate networks of adults and children are formed to promote children’s rights and report violations. This strategy involves the whole community and fosters the children's right to participation.