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Cambodia
3. The project was based on research
conducted in partnership with the police
themselves, by a former policeman, to
better understand barriers they face. In this
way it was able to identify specific needs,
going beyond general concern. Involvement
of the police also respected their dignity and
the value of their input, and laid the
groundwork for cooperation on
implementation.
4. High-quality training materials, which were
reviewed by the police themselves and
independently by an external police trainer,
have now become part of the police training
curriculum. Quality and delivery are key, as
the police have responded to methods that
“engage” rather than “lecture”.
“I would like to insist on the fact that before the
opening of the Project, only a very few cases of
sexual offences against children were reported
and investigated each year. These encouraging
figures are the result of training and advice given
to the police officers, close cooperation with
other Ministries involved, as well as International
Organisations and NGOs on child protection.”
– His Excellency Hok Lundy, General Commissioner of the
National Police of Cambodia
5. Follow-up and application has been
strengthened with the 24-hour hotline,
which allows the use of training to be
monitored in reference to actual cases.
Monitoring systems have contributed to
police tracking of casework, and have
earned support as a useful tool. Regular
meetings with donors around quarterly
monitoring reports assists in maintaining
the focus of the project.
6. Endorsement by the Deputy Prime Minister
and senior officials assisted in strengthening
the responsiveness of provincial officials to
address local child protection concerns.
Barriers
The LEASEC project has promoted greater
response to child protection. Change has
been seen in the increased numbers of cases
investigated and children freed. Nevertheless,
• Challenges emerge where the police are
poorly paid and can be bribed. Investigations
are compromised when another section of
the police is complicit in illegal activities. The
trade in human trafficking and prostitution
pays well. Offenders are able to intimidate
or bribe witnesses, as there is no system of
witness protection.
• Members of Cambodia’s judiciary had
opportunity to participate in the program.
Unfortunately this has not been possible to a
large extent. The judicial system is being
rebuilt following Cambodia’s period of
conflict and instability; there are many
initiatives underway and the LEASEC project
is competing with other areas for attention.
This context, combined with an at times
tense relationship between the police and
the judiciary, has on occasion been a barrier
to the potential for cooperation between
these two arms of legal redress for
Cambodia’s children.
• Prosecutions have proven difficult. Courts
fail to keep offenders in jail, corruption is
high and there is a low level of trust
between the courts and the police.
• The project, while successful, has struggled
for sufficient resources even though it
currently has four agencies supporting it.
Workloads of the one technical adviser and
the team of trainers are high, leaving them
with little room to respond to additional tasks
– such as those that arise when high-profile
cases involving foreigners have emerged.
• Limited resources have also reduced the
project’s capacity to contribute from its
experience to the development of regional
initiatives to address cross-border trafficking.
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