Present day Cambodia emerges from a not so distant past characterized by betrayal, violence and trauma that resulted in the disintegration of trust, relationships and harmony between and among families, communities and other social structures.

Injustice on an individual and societal level and a judicial system that lends itself to political influence are some of the current manifestations of this tumultuous past.

In the midst of this challenging environment, many Cambodian children and adults are working hard to build peaceful communities and families, and to advocate for their rights.

In this societal milieu, World Vision Cambodia commits to the aggressive pursuit of strategies to work with Cambodian children and adults, in communities and within the government, to address and improve issues of peace and justice that affect the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized.

From 2006 – 2010, WVC Peace and Justice Program will seek to address four identified critical roadblocks to achieving peace and justice. These are:
  1. Violence Against Children
  2. Worst and Hazardous Forms of Child Labor
  3. Breakdown of Morality, Family Values and Sense of Community
  4. Power Abuse and Exclusion that Hurts the Poor and Vulnerable.
Violence Against Children
Significant time and resources will be expended towards combating violence in identified communities as well as making sure that boys and girls who are survivors of violence in target areas receive effective care and healing services. Considerable capacity building activities that mobilize families, communities and local authorities to collectively work together to prevent and address violence against boys and girls will be implemented.

Key Target Group(s): Boys and girls who are survivor of violence (e.g. rape, physical and mental abuse, neglect). Families, local authorities, teachers, community people, young children, youth, opinion makers, community leaders

Worst and Hazardous Forms of Child Labor
Specific and tested interventions that contribute to the elimination of Worst and Hazardous Forms of Child Labor will be identified and implemented. Program activities will focus on enabling children, families and communities to protect vulnerable boys and girls from engaging in hazardous and worst forms of child labor and in building effective systems and structures that safeguard vulnerable children at the community, provincial and national levels. Survivors of child labor often have a distorted view of themselves and the environment in which they exist. Their need for caring, healing, restoration and reintegration into their communities will be at the heart of all program activities.

Key Target Group(s): Vulnerable children within World Vision target areas. These include children working in factories (e.g. brick factories), child domestic laborers, scavengers, trafficked children, survivors of commercial and sexual exploitation, community leaders, local authorities, families, and parents

Breakdown of Morality, Family Values and Sense of Community
Intentional efforts towards transforming the breakdown of morality, family values and sense of community will be employed so that boys, girls and adults in target communities have transformed values, attitudes and actions resulting to increased trust, respect and co-operation leading to more peace.

Key Target Group(s): Boys and girls in peace clubs and children’s clubs, parents, teachers, village chief, police, religious groups/leaders

Power Abuse and Exclusion that Hurts the Poor and Vulnerable
Program implementation will employ purposive actions that counter power abuse and exclusion that is detrimental to the quality of life of vulnerable children and their families. The goal here is to enable people in target communities to harness their collective capacity to analyse local power abuse problems, identify solutions, and mobilise themselves to protect their rights and curtail the threats posed by abusive persons in authority.

Key Target Group(s): Communities in World Vision target areas, children and youth clubs, teachers, local authorities, persons in positions of authorities, national agencies (especially those who have a mandate related to human rights violations).

Below are project summaries under Peace and Justice program:

  Mobilizing Communities for Child Protection Project.
  Child Safe Tourism Project.
  Child Sex Tourism Prevention Project.
  Law Enforcement Against Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Children Project.
  Aftercare for Trafficked and Sexually Exploited Children of Cambodia Project.
  Neah Veah Thmay Trauma Recover Center.
  Reducing Gender Based Violence Project.
  Social Mobilization against Child Labour Project.
  Cambodia Peacebuilding Initiative.
  Child Protection Unit.
  Youth and Children’s Clubs
  Children in Crisis
  Sexual Abuse of Boys Research

Read news/stories from the field on Peace and Justice click here.



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