A child sells souveniers at Preah Kahn temple in Siem Reap province. Hong Menea
The Cambodia National Council for Children (CNCC), in collaboration with partner organisations, organised a two-day workshop in Siem Reap for 140 law enforcement officers from the provincial capitals in Cambodia.
The workshop focused on the protection of children from sexual exploitation and abuse
CNCC secretary-general Nhep Sopheap said the workshop took place on Tuesday and Wednesday in collaboration with Terre des Hommes Netherlands, Aple Cambodia and the Child Protection Unit.
Also, 25 capital-provincial anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection officers and 12 anti-human trafficking officers from the Military Police joined the workshop.
“Participants learned more about the experience of child victims and the proceedings at the criminal level, where experts and practitioners came to share their own experiences,” Sopheap said.
According to Sopheap, people who are working to promote the protection of children from exploitation and sexual abuse also understand the services and mechanisms to help children promptly.
“The authorities and the law enforcers are very curious about the legal procedures involved in promoting the protection of children from exploitation and sexual abuse,” Sopheap said.
Deputy secretary-general of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking (NCCT) of the Ministry of Interior Chiv Phally told The Post on Wednesday that the workshop provided an opportunity for stakeholders to participate in the prevention of possible crimes against children, especially protecting them from all forms of sexual abuse.
“Participants learned about the protection, investigation, prosecution and judicial stages to improve child protection, including trafficking, abuse and other matters. Therefore, through this workshop, relevant parties seek to participate together in child protection,” Phally said.
He said for more than eight months this year, the authorities found that there are crimes of child sexual abuse online and have acted to crack down on the perpetrators.
Zoe De Melo, the project manager of Terre des Hommes Netherlands, told The Post that some children who use smartphones could be especially vulnerable to online abuse.
“In Cambodia, online sexual exploitation of children is alarming and requires immediate action before it happens again,” De Melo said.
