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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 />
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