The Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation signed memorandums of understanding (MoU) with Arm Cambodia and A21 Foundation to protect victims of human trafficking, child exploitation, sexual abuse, sex trafficking and child labour. Photo supplied
The Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation signed memorandums of understanding (MoU) with Arm Cambodia and A21 Foundation last Friday to collaboratively protect victims of human trafficking, child exploitation, sexual abuse, sex trafficking and child labour.
The ministry’s General Department of Technical Affairs director-general and spokesman Touch Channy told The Post on Sunday that the MoU was signed with the organisations due to their track record in the abovementioned social matters.
He said: “Arm Cambodia has victim care centres in Siem Reap and Battambang provinces. Children affected by human trafficking or abuses had been taken in by this organisation for care and rehabilitation.
“After the victims recover, we will provide vocational training before sending them back to their families.”
Channy said the ministry will always welcome relevant partners and organisations to help victims in the Kingdom to have a better livelihood and life. He said cooperation from partner organisations is really important to promote social affairs in Cambodia.
He said that the agreement with Arm Cambodia will cost $3,760,816 for three years from this year and will be used for the well-being and care for affected girls.
Touch Channy urged all the ministry’s partner organisations to operate as per the conditions in social affairs only and not politics.
If the ministry finds any organisation has failed to comply with the terms and conditions stipulated in the agreement and turn their social affairs into a political motive, the agreement will immediately be cancelled.
Arm Cambodia country director Sath Theara said on Sunday that it runs a safe house to look after girls as well as provide vocational training and English language education for them.
She said: “We help only girls affected by trafficking. Currently, we have care centres in Siem Reap and Battambang. But for the cooperation with the ministry for three years, we will help victims throughout Cambodia.”
Arm Cambodia will help affected girls aged from four to 18 by taking them from the ministry to be looked after at the centres in the above two provinces.
Theara has observed a decrease in sexual abuse and female child labour cases as citizens had more knowledge. However, she could not provide data of girls who were violated as it was a Sunday and she did not immediately have the information.
A21 Foundation’s work focused mainly on combating human trafficking and child exploitation, especially cross-border child trafficking and exploitation, said its caseworker Ham Net.
She said the foundation would handle the core work in cooperation with the transition centre and provincial department of social affairs in Poipet to help and support children affected by violations and labour exploitation.
The assistance comes in the form of financial support, clothes and psychological treatment for the victims until they recover. Later on, the A21 Foundation will provide vocational training for the abused children.
Net said under the cooperation with the ministry, A21 Foundation has saved more than 20 boys and girls who were trafficked to Thailand to be beggars and sent them back to Cambodia where they are being cared for.
She said the three-year agreement with the ministry would cost the foundation $668,016.
