A Kampong Cham primary school provides free meals in Kang Meas district on May 17. MoEYS
The government is strongly committed to ensuring that all children live in an atmosphere conducive to nurturing them with the protection necessary to end violence in all forms.
Prime Minister Hun Sen made the commitment in his speech at the “Together to #ENDviolence Leaders’ event” on June 14.
He said the government would achieve Cambodia’s pledges in regional and global frameworks through the implementation of national action plans and policies that have been set out.
“As a path-finding country of the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children, we have always paid close attention to the prevention of violence against children and the promotion of child protection,” said Hun Sen.
He added that Cambodia had steadily prepared and implemented policies and action plans to achieve an end to violence against children. These included the Action Plan to Prevent and Respond to Violence Against Children (VAC) 2017-2021, the National Social Protection Policy Framework 2016-2025, and the National Policy on Child Protection System 2019-2029.
He noted that in 2019, Cambodia became a path-finding country of the global partnership by prioritising the strengthening of the implementation of policies on alternative care for children, and promoted family-based care instead of residential care. In 2021, based on an evaluation of the Action Plan to Prevent and Respond to Violence Against Children 2017-2021, Cambodia was on the right track to preventing violence against children.
“Going forward, Cambodia will continue to be active in our efforts to ensure the safety of children everywhere such as at home, school or in the community,” he said.
He took the opportunity to share some key ideas, aimed at promoting the spirit of unity as well as strengthening and expanding existing bilateral and multilateral cooperation to promote children welfare and child protection.
“We must foster global commitment by mobilising both financial and non-financial resources to support and ensure the sustainability of the movement to end violence against children within the framework of the UN and international organisations, as well as other regional organisations,” he said.
The government also urged the UN to accelerate progress towards achieving its sustainable development goals, especially Target 16.2: Ending all forms of violence against children by 2030.
In a press release, UNICEF representative in Cambodia Foroogh Foyouzat said the Cambodian government and its partners had reconfirmed their commitment to ending violence against children by 2030. UNICEF acknowledged the government’s significant efforts in strengthening systems to prevent and respond to violence and its ongoing determination to further strengthen those systems.
“UNICEF remains firmly committed to supporting the Cambodian government’s steadfast and accelerated action in preventing violence against children and to fulfil its commitment to end violence against children by 2030,” said the release.
Nim Thot, secretary of state at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, said violence against children in any form has detrimental effects on child development, their social ethics, dignity and future human resource development and cannot be tolerated.
