CHILD’S PROTECTION POLICY
Overview
From 1955 till present time, living through two Indochinese wars accompanied by internal armed conflicts, resulting in four-change of political regimes, that have given birth to new successive royal governments coming from democratic election, Cambodia has in fact engaged itself in respecting and protecting child’s right since 22 October 1992, ratified by the Supreme National Council (SNC) with signature apposed by Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk and all SCN members, and then later reiterated in Cambodian Constitution in its article 31: “The Kingdom of Cambodia shall recognize and respect human rights as stipulated in the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human rights, the covenants and conventions related to human rights, women's and children's rights. Every Khmer citizen shall be equal before the law, enjoying the same rights, freedom and fulfilling the same obligations regardless of race, color, sex, language, religious belief, political tendency, birth origin, social status, wealth or other status. The exercise of personal rights and freedom by any individual shall not adversely affect the rights and freedom of others. The exercise of such rights and freedom shall be in accordance with the law” Article 68 states that “The State shall provide free primary and secondary education to all citizens in public schools. Citizens shall receive education for at least 9 years. The State shall disseminate and develop the Pali schools and the Buddhist Institute”.
In the Rectangular IV of the royal government, promised to be continued in the fourth mandate, the government has stated: “The Royal Government is committed to achieving the goal of “Education for All” by ensuring equity in the attainment of nine years of basic education for all children and ensuring access by the children of the poor households to education, especially by improving the quality and number of public education institutions and providing more scholarships to poor students. The Royal Government will continue to strengthen its partnerships with the private sector and the national and international community to enhance and improve the quality of education services, both in vocational and technical training and in higher education, consistent with international standards and the development needs of the nation”.
In summary, Cambodia with the same conception as other countries having in the world, pays great attention to children rights, but from 1955 up to now, caused by economic conditions, unbalanced development between capital or town and the countryside, laws enforcement, natural resources management, poor agricultural technology development and national plan for land management, children rights have not yet generally been completely and satisfactory respected and protected, that requires constant effort to build equality of opportunity and outcome, which will develop freedom from ignorance and strengthen right of personal integrity.
Purpose
Child Hope Organization (CHO), as its name indicated, with consideration of the above factors, in respecting the national and international declaration concerning child’s rights has then the obligation to work cooperatively and closely with official institutions, national and international civil organizations, as well as with the support of all world donors who commit themselves to save and protect the convention on the rights of the child, ratified by the UN General Assembly on 20 November 1989, in order to realize the basic rights of Cambodian children:
- The right to life involving the right to survival, shelter, clothes, health, nutrition, name and nationality
- The right to development involving the right to good quality of education, access to vocational and life skills education, access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources to develop their social, spiritual and moral well-being and mental health, additionally health care services, leisure and recreation
- The right to protection involving the freedom from sexual, economical exploitation illicit commerce and drug addiction, physical and mental violence, injury or abuse, arbitrary punishment and neglect or negligent treatment.
- The right to participation, including liberty to participate in economic, social and cultural activities, to expression, to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kind regardless of frontier, and the right to freedom of thought, association, peaceful assembly and religion.
As stated in article 31 of Cambodian constitution, Child Hope Organization (CHO) recognizes the important function to strengthen the basic rights of children in the context of human rights and with great regards to Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; worst forms of child labor convention, including Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons.
As priority we focus our activities first to empower poor children, and the ones facing difficulties in remote areas, where the national plan has not yet been accomplished, to promote equality of opportunity by access to good quality of education, health care services, and equality of outcome by providing comparable school facilities to vulnerable and children facing difficulties in remote areas, rid of any discrimination and all forms of violence, but getting full assistance and support of communities to develop thinking power, free participation and future self-determination.
Vision
Cambodian children, being vulnerable, and poor, will be provided the rights, well-beings, safety, and their personal development with the hope for the future.
Mission
Child Hope Organization, with the capacity, and experiences for years of staff in community development and education, will contribute to the Royal Government of Cambodia, national organizations, international organizations, and other relevant institutes in order to promote child rights, provide abilities on various skills as well as offer them with services to develop the prosperous future.
Goal
Children and Families, in target areas, will be provided services of education, training, skills, care, and materials so that they can have ability to develop their personality, and hopefully live with well-being in the society.
PURPOSES
- Provide training/educational services to vulnerable and poor children;
- Encourage and set up specific vocational skills training for children;
- Provide computer-skilled training, and foreign languages training to children;
- Provide training to children and protectorates to raise clear awareness of four rights’ child, domestic violence, and anti-child trafficking;
- Provide counseling, in family manner, on all issues relevant to children;
- Disseminate general education on social moral to children and protectorates/family;
- Coordinate/referral treatment and provide child-care to vulnerable and poor children;
- Provide all kinds of school materials, and abilities for children to go to attend school;
- Set up clubs and libraries for children;
- Set up Shelf-Help Group of children’ protectorates/family with the ease of education and supporting with any services.
CHO’s core Values:
- We have good close-relationship and honesty with other people;
- We have beneficial and valuable tasks;
- We have commitment and high creativity/innovation;
- We respect and mutually believe to each others;
- We work in democratic and participatory manner;
- We have high responsibility and quality;
- We serve and boost up wellbeing and development of children and their family;
- We work to change the attitudes and develop children to have bright future in society.
