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Cambodia<br />

Mith Samlanh/Friends vocational training program (continued)<br />

Barriers<br />

Child level:<br />

• An increasing number of youth are HIVpositive<br />

(15% in Training Centre)<br />

Family level:<br />

• Families not allowing <strong>the</strong>ir children to get<br />

training <strong>and</strong> education because <strong>the</strong>y lose income<br />

when a child stops working in <strong>the</strong> streets<br />

• Families coming to “feed off” successfully<br />

placed students, taking significant income away<br />

<strong>and</strong> discouraging <strong>the</strong> young person<br />

Local level:<br />

• The municipality of Phnom Penh is dealing<br />

with street children issues through forced<br />

relocations. This makes work with children<br />

difficult because <strong>the</strong>y hide.<br />

National level:<br />

• HIV/AIDS <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r crises bring many children<br />

to <strong>the</strong> streets (140,000 AIDS-orphaned<br />

children are expected by end 2004; as many as<br />

30,000 are likely to become homeless), <strong>and</strong> an<br />

increase in hard drugs (amphetamines <strong>and</strong><br />

heroin injections) is or will dramatically<br />

challenge <strong>the</strong> work in streets <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> centres.<br />

• For successful placement it is important that<br />

<strong>the</strong> employment market <strong>and</strong> job opportunities<br />

keep growing.<br />

How <strong>the</strong>y are addressed<br />

• Positive living approach<br />

• Emotional support <strong>and</strong> medical support<br />

• Exploring access to anti-retroviral drugs<br />

• Including <strong>the</strong> family in <strong>the</strong> social work with <strong>the</strong><br />

child when possible<br />

• Micro-credit initiatives<br />

• Various support systems to family members<br />

• Follow-up to troubleshoot<br />

• Gaining media focus on <strong>the</strong> municipality’s<br />

policy; a meeting with <strong>the</strong> municipality <strong>and</strong><br />

international bodies <strong>and</strong> donors; definition of<br />

common policies/projects<br />

• Research <strong>and</strong> media to alert local authorities,<br />

GOs <strong>and</strong> NGOs to <strong>the</strong> current level of need,<br />

<strong>and</strong> to implement strategies that can work<br />

towards combating issues such as HIV/AIDS<br />

among children <strong>and</strong> drug use<br />

• Creating placements for young people whose<br />

family situation limits <strong>the</strong>ir options<br />

In responding to <strong>the</strong> problem of<br />

exploitative labour, including <strong>the</strong> creation of<br />

alternatives through micro-credit, it is clear<br />

that approaches that build <strong>the</strong> capacity of<br />

children build hope. They respond in ways<br />

that recognise <strong>the</strong> resilience of children,<br />

<strong>and</strong> could be summed up in <strong>the</strong> phrase <strong>the</strong><br />

Dom Bosco youth agency of <strong>the</strong> Catholic<br />

Church takes as its motto: “It is better to<br />

light a c<strong>and</strong>le than curse <strong>the</strong> darkness”. Root<br />

causes such as poverty will always need to<br />

be addressed, but action that increases<br />

livelihoods for children, youth <strong>and</strong> families<br />

reduces <strong>the</strong> debilitating effect of poverty<br />

<strong>and</strong> its contribution to child abuse <strong>and</strong><br />

neglect.<br />

32

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