Psychosocial support for 300 Cambodian children

October 2021 update: Providing psycho-social support to Cambodian children

Children who are victims of sexual exploitation require long-term support from trained professionals to accompany them on their journey towards reintegration within their families and communities. Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Cambodia works to provide them adequate legal aid and psychosocial services.

At the school and community level, prevention is essential to improve community-based child protection, reporting and fight discrimination against victims.

Rehabilitation of child victims

Cases closed

This project is now closed and we have been busy in the fast few months making sure child victims of sexual exploitation receive the best possible care: 

• The cases of 2 adolescent boy victims of sexual exploitation were successfully closed as their situation was considered to be stable and safe and they both started working;
• Unfortunately, the Terre des Hommes Netherlands field Office located in Siem Reap was closed in parallel with the closure of the project;
• 21 cases of child victims of SECTT were handed over to over long-term partner Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE) and the relevant Departments of Social Affairs in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. 7 were "direct cases" TDHNL social workers had worked with and 11 cases were already "remote" cases led by other service providers, like Hagar and Agape International Mission;
• 1 client still could not be found after he moved to Poipet near the Thailand border to find work in 2020. Authorities were provided the necessary information.
• Even if it's the end of our Working Actively Together for Children (WATCH) project, started at the beginning of 2018, we are preparing for a new project to keep supporting child victims. The next project will focus on prevention and responding to Online Child Sexual Exploitation.

Our social workers support children to go back to school, a key step towards reintegration

Our child volunteers advocated for better child protection through awareness raising campaigns

Testimonies

Nara, 12: “I am feeling better and because of this I have made new friends in the neighbourhood. I am brave now if compared to before, now I can communicate with my friends, they motivate me to study hard. I learned how to protect my sister and cousin from the abuse when we go to school.”

Ven, 16: “I am very happy to have met the TdH-NL social workers and to get support. Now, we all have a good relationship, especially the relationship between me and my stepfather. He stopped blaming me and using bad words.”

Thida, youth volunteer, 17:“I feel optimistic about the future to see my community environment and children safe with a better understanding of SECTT both to protect themselves and to report incidents of SECTT and other forms of violence. 

• October_2021_TdHNL_in_Cambodia_Global_Giving_Update.pdf (PDF)