World Vision workshop on violence against children held on July 20. Hong Menea
Violence against children (VAC) in Cambodia over the last 12 months has decreased when compared to the last four years, according to World Vision International, which interviewed children aged 12 to 18 in 10 municipalities and provinces.
The NGO’s findings were presented at a July 20 seminar on the role of the press in preventing VAC in Cambodia, after its working group conducted interviews with more than 1,000 children.
The target areas were Phnom Penh and the provinces of Kandal, Takeo, Kampong Speu, Kampong Chhnang, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, Kampong Thom and Preah Vihear. World Vision has conducted many child protection programmes in these regions.
Chhay Veasna, child protection and social inclusion lead at the NGO, said the number of children interviewed in the last 12 months about their experiences of violence had dropped by more than 10 per cent compared to 2018.
Citing the study, Veasna said guardians using violence – physical or psychological – against children had decreased from 84 per cent in 2018 to 65 per cent in 2021.
“They are beneficiaries of our child protection and social inclusion programmes. Within the groups that have implemented our programmes, the violence rate has decreased,” he said.
He noted that violence was divided into two categories: physical violence, which refers to slapping, kicking, punching or using an object to hit a child. Burning and attempted drowning are also considered physical violence.
Psychological violence refers to acts of intimidation, insults, and obscenities. It was found to severely affect children’s mental health, he added.
“Whether the violence is mild or severe, it has a serious impact on the development of children and their mental health. Our programme focuses on three solutions: prevention, response and non-response, and we intend to protect children as much as possible,” he said.
Hong Srey Pov, a village assistant in Khmuonh commune of the capital’s Sen Sok district, said that while VAC did still occur in her village of more than 400 households, it was on the decline.
She believed the reduction was due to improving education, especially World Vision’s Happy Family project.
“More than 20 per cent of the children in my village have experienced violence. They were forced to work as child labour, often serving in restaurants, working in a brick kiln or packing noodles in factories. Most of these children are between 12 and 13 years old. They are exploited. There is not so much mental abuse, just their parents swearing at them,” she said.
According to the Ministry of Women's Affairs’ 2013 National Survey on Child Violence, more than 75 per cent of children experienced one form of violence before they turned 18. Of these children, more than half described experiencing physical abuse.
