Child protection

Overview

Over the past decade, important gains have been made to advance the rights of every child to protection in Cambodia.

Birth registration reached 92 per cent in 2021, securing children in Cambodia an identity.¹
The number of children living in residential care decreased by 73 per cent between 2015 and 2024.²
Child marriage decreased by 40 per cent between 1999 and 2022.³
In 2021, 17 per cent of children aged 5–17 were economically active, down from 37 per cent in 2010.⁴

Challenges

In Cambodia, children experience insidious forms of violence, abuse and exploitation. Violence, which can be physical, emotional or sexual, often happens in the places children should be most protected—their homes, schools and communities—and at the hands of the people they trust. With children spending more time than ever before online, children are increasingly vulnerable to online abuse and exploitation as well as cyberbullying. Without strong social and legal protections, many also risk being trafficked, forced to work, separated from their families and unnecessarily placed in residential care.

Climate change is intensifying protection risks for vulnerable children. Families are being driven from their homes by weather-related events like flooding and drought, which are exacerbated by climate change.

66 per cent of children aged 1–14 have experienced some type of violent discipline. About three in every five children (59 per cent) have experienced some form of psychological aggression.⁵
11 per cent of internet-using adolescents have experienced online sexual exploitation and abuse.⁶
18 per cent of women aged 20–24 years were married or in a union before the age of 18. In Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri provinces, an alarming 34 per cent were married before the age of 18.⁷

Solutions

UNICEF Cambodia’s Child Protection Programme for 2024–2028 addresses the acute challenges of violence, abuse and exploitation affecting children and adolescents across the country. It strives to realise children’s right to protection, as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), while contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

No matter the circumstance, every child has the right to be protected from violence, abuse and exploitation and to participate in decisions affecting their life. UNICEF in Cambodia partners with Government ministries, the private sector, civil society organizations, communities and children themselves to ensure that prevention and response services are available to all child survivors and children at risk of violence and abuse and that the legal and policy environment set the highest standards for protection. Our efforts focus on strengthening the child protection system to help children access essential care services, from birth through adolescence, and fostering a culture of non-violence by transforming the social attitudes and beliefs that perpetuate violence and harmful practices.

Build a child-centred protection system

UNICEF works with the Royal Government of Cambodia to strengthen legal and policy frameworks that give every child, especially the most vulnerable, access to essential services and justice. We advocate for legislative reforms that prohibit corporal punishment in all settings, prioritize family-based over institutionalised care, promote non-custodial alternatives to detention, and respond to the emerging online risks facing children and young people. UNICEF also advocates for adequate resources to prevent violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation, both online and offline, and to ensure an effective response, including support to children in conflict with the law.

Create safe environments for vulnerable children

Qualified social workers are the backbone of a well-functioning child protection system. Currently, the number of social workers in the country is insufficient to meet the demand for support from children and their families. UNICEF works with line ministries to equip social workers with the knowledge and resources they need to identify, prevent and manage the risks children may be exposed to and connect families to critical services. Primero, a digital case management system, was launched in 2020 to enable social service workers to provide better quality and timely services to children and families.

Foster a culture of non-violence, tolerance and family preservation

Alongside communities, we accelerate the elimination of harmful practices, such as child marriage, and address deep-rooted social, cultural and gender norms that perpetuate violence and discrimination and separate children from their families unnecessarily. We engage with parents, teachers, caregivers and religious leaders, both online and in communities, to empower them with positive parenting practices and to raise awareness on the importance of a stable family environment. From 2019–2024, over 118,000 parents, caregivers and community members and nearly 1,500 monks were reached through the pagoda programme, which engages monks to conduct awareness raising in their pagodas and communities on preventing violence.

Ensure children are protected through the climate crisis

UNICEF is working to ensure that the social service workforce for child protection can withstand and respond to the protection risks climate change poses for children, including internal and cross border migration, child marriage and gender-based violence.

Engage adolescents and young people to promote child rights and help eliminate harmful practices

UNICEF Cambodia is partnering with youth networks nationwide to involve children and young people in the design and delivery of child-focused services that challenge the cultural and social norms that perpetuate harmful practices. Through our initiatives, we prioritize listening to their voices, ensuring their perspectives, needs and aspirations shape our programmes. By engaging youth, we aim to build a more responsive and inclusive system that addresses the unique challenges they face, empowering them to be leaders in their communities and advocates for their own rights and well-being.

Build alliances with the private sector

We partner with the private sector, including telecom companies, and work with influencers and celebrities to expand our reach. Supported by Meta and the digital industry, a digital campaign to prevent and protect Cambodian adolescents from online sexual predators has to date reached more than 6 million. Guidelines on Child Online Protection for the Digital Technology Industry were launched in 2023 to ensure that all children have safe and positive experiences online by encouraging industries within the sector to prevent and respond to current and emerging harms posed by the use of technology.