Help Survivors of Sexual Exploitation in Cambodia

Challenge

Cambodia is a country with an established problem of child sexual abuse and exploitation. With 5.6 per cent of boys and 4.4 percent of girls experiencing at least one incident of sexual abuse before the age of 18; the prevalence rate of sexual abuse goes up to 38 percent within vulnerable populations such as street children. With highly experienced staff, APLE Cambodia has been protecting, supporting and responding to the needs of these children for more than 10 years.

Solution

The program's activities include crisis intervention for child victims sexual abuse and exploitation, provision of emotional support, legal advice and representation for victims and their families along with advocacy at all levels to establish child-friendly procedures during the entire judicial process. This program is complemented by our Community Engagement Program which holds 24/7 hotlines and awareness raising for communities to prevent the abuse from happening in the first place.

Long-Term Impact

Founded on the belief that strengthening government institutions is the highest priority in achieving long-term sustainable change, APLE's experienced staff advocate through meetings, workshops and discussions with national law enforcement agencies and other government officials to increase adherence to national and international standards in cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation and the use of child-friendly procedures throughout the whole criminal justice process.

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).

Resources

• http:/​/​www.aplecambodia.org
• APLE's Internet Hotline website
• APLE Cambodia's Facebook page
• Article by Paul Kay in Post Magazine