Ministry, NGOs tackle trafficking
THE Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation signed memorandums of understanding (MoU) with Arm Cambodia and A21 Foundation last Friday to collaboratively protect victims of human trafficking, child exploitation, sexual abuse, sex trafficking and child labour.
The ministry’s General Department of Technical Affairs director-general and spokesman Touch Channy told The Post on Sunday that the MoU was signed with the organisations due to their track record in the abovementioned social matters.
He said: “Arm Cambodia has v ictim care centres in Siem Reap and Battambang prov inces. Children af fected by human trafficking or abuses had been taken in by t his organisation for care and rehabilitation.
“After the victims recover, we will provide vocational training before sending them back to their families.”
Channy said the ministr y will always welcome relevant partners and organisations to help v ictims in t he Kingdom to have a better livelihood and life. He said cooperation from partner organisations is rea l ly important to promote socia l affairs in Cambodia.
He said that the agreement with Arm Cambodia will cost $3,760,816 for three years from this year and will be used for the well-being and care for affected girls.
Touch Channy urged all the ministr y’s partner organisations to operate as per t he conditions in socia l affa irs only and not politics.
If the ministr y finds any organisation has fa i led to comply with the terms and conditions stipulated in t he agreement and turn t heir socia l af fa irs into a polit ica l motive, the agreement will immediately be cancelled.
Arm Cambodia country director Sath Theara said on Sunday that it runs a safe house to look after girls as well as provide vocational training and English language education for them.
She said: “We help only girls affected by trafficking. Currently, we have care centres in Siem Reap and Battambang. But for the cooperation with the ministry for three years, we will help victims throughout Cambodia.”
Arm Cambodia will help af fected girls aged from four to 18 by ta k ing them from the ministr y to be looked after at the centres in the above t wo prov inces.
Theara has obser ved a decrease in sexual abuse and female child labour cases as citizens had more k nowledge. However, she could not prov ide data of girls who were v iolated as it was a Sunday and she did not immediately have t he information.
A21 Foundation’s work focused mainly on combating human trafficking and child exploitation, especia lly cross-border child tra f ficking and exploitation, said its caseworker Ham Net.
She sa id t he foundat ion would handle t he core work i n cooperat ion wit h t he t ra nsit ion cent re a nd prov incia l depar t ment of socia l a f fa irs in Poipet to help a nd support chi ld ren a f fected by v iolat ions and labour ex ploitat ion.
The assistance comes in the form of financial support, clot hes and psychologica l treatment for t he v ictims until t hey recover. Later on, the A21 Foundation will prov ide vocationa l training for the abused children.
Net said under the cooperation wit h t he ministr y, A21 Foundation has saved more than 20 boys and girls who were trafficked to Thailand to be beggars and sent them back to Cambodia where t hey are being cared for.
She said t he t hree-year agreement with the ministr y would cost the foundation $ 668,016.
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