Roundtable discussion on the Recommendation of Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child at Phnom Penh Hotel on July 21. Hong Menea
Cambodian officials and development partners on July 21 discussed the 48 recommendations made by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
The dialogue took place at the "Roundtable Discussion on the Recommendations of the UNCRC" hosted by UNICEF in Phnom Penh.
Nim Thot, secretary of state at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation and head of the Cambodian National Council for Children (CNCC), said during the discussion that despite the government's efforts at establishing programmes to improve the welfare of children in the Kingdom, some children were still living in hard conditions, vulnerable and in need of further support and intervention.
He added that the government sent a CNCC delegation, led by Chou Bun Eng – Ministry of Interior secretary of state and permanent vice-chair of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking (NCCT) – to represent the Kingdom at the 90th meeting of the UNCRC in Geneva, Switzerland. Following that meeting, Cambodia had endeavoured to establish clear management mechanisms on this issue.
“Cambodia accepted the 48 recommendations by the committee and we discussed those today,” he said.
Kim Sovanndy, secretary-general of the CNCC, said that during the earlier discussions on June 9, Cambodia had accepted the committee's recommendations because they had been made in a constructive manner and taken into account the realities of Cambodia’s current situation.
“As far as further goals go, the secretary-general of the CNCC will push for the implementation of all these recommendations by preparing a government circular and distributing the recommendations to all of the relevant ministries and institutions,” he said. “We will also promote these recommendations to the ministries and institutions at the sub-national level.”
Bun Eng said Cambodia has cooperated with the UN and other development partners and stakeholders to bring about improvements to ensure that children – no matter where they hail from in Cambodia – are protected by the laws and policies of the Kingdom.
“With the Ministry of Interior, we have worked closely with other relevant ministries and prepared clear plans for improved child protection and we have developed policies and prepared standards for implementing this child protection,” she said.
She added that the ministry was also committed to supporting the incorporation of the main activities related to child protection into the development plans of provinces, districts and communes and for incorporating sustainable child protection services.
Nhean Sochetra, head of the General Department of Social Development at the Ministry of Women's Affairs, responded to the recommendations relating to corporal punishment, child exploitation and sexual abuse, saying that the ministry has been reviewing how to improve the implementation of the Kingdom's existing laws or update them in order to curb domestic violence and protect its victims.
“We have been reviewing the effectiveness of implementing this law to identify its strengths and weaknesses to form the basis for which articles of the law we have to amend,” she added.
Dy Kham Boly, a spokesman at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, also responded to the recommendations, saying that the ministry's leadership agrees they should be followed.
“We believe in following the recommendations laid out by the UNCRC. The government has two main pillars – peace and development,” he said. "With these two pillars, we can accomplish anything, including these recommendations."
UNICEF representative to Cambodia Foroogh Foyouzat said during the discussion that in June, the UNCRC reviewed the fourth to sixth periodic report on the status of children’s rights in Cambodia.
She said that the UNCRC recognised the extensive progress made by the Cambodian government between 2011 and 2022. However, the committee has also highlighted areas of concern such as education and child protection.
“I urge the government to integrate the recommendations into its existing and newly developing laws, plans, policies and regulatory frameworks, as well as into any Covid-19 recovery plans.
“The panel discussion today is an opportunity to hear about different ministries’ plans to take action on these recommendations, and I very much look forward to learning about them,” she said.
She added that UNICEF stood ready to support the government and work with other civil society organisations towards the ultimate goal of ensuring that the rights of all children in Cambodia are respected, realised, fulfilled and protected.
