Monday, 10 September 2012

Smile Action Project: Cambodia



Background/History

Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia, and enjoyed a prosperous culture and civilization  during the Angkorian Era. Geographically, it is situated along the Mekong River on wetland favourable to agriculture. The majority of Cambodians are farmers who are honest, hardworking and traditionally friendly and supportive of each other. However, war and a genocidal regime have severely shattered the country. The national social infrastructure, culture, tradition and social morality which used to be good, have severely declined. Traumas, the loss of spouses, children and relatives, and in particular, the deprivation of their rights, dignity and honour have been in the heart of the Cambodian population for a full generation. These are causes affecting the daily livelihood of Cambodians’ of all ages in this generation. Physically and mentally disabled people, orphans without any support and poverty are heritage which the social affairs sector has to deal with.

Demography of Cambodian population

Of the 14 million people living in Cambodia, 52% are under the age of 18. Some 85% of Cambodians live in rural areas, are poor and lack access to the most basic services. For school-age children, only 52% of primary schools offer all six grades, and the coverage of lower secondary education is very limited. By the age of 15 years, less than 5% of the children are still in the education system. During adolescence, many children living in urban areas are exposed to a range of risk filled behaviours, including alcohol and drug abuse and unprotected sex. Large numbers of Cambodian children are also exposed to exploitation.[1]

One study[2] estimated that there were 10,000-20,000 street working children in Cambodia. Another study[3] of ‘vulnerable’ children, including street children, in Phnom Penh found 88% had had sexual relations with tourists, and 70.6% of the children were currently involved in sexual relations with tourists. 

In Cambodia, Phnom Penh, there are an estimated 616,023 working children aged between 5 and 17 years and 2,000 street children in Phnom Penh. A further 15,000 children, while not homeless, spend more than six hours a day scavenging and begging.[4]

Position of Cambodian government on street children

With the objective of creating a permanent body to act as a focal point for children, the Cambodian National Council for Children (CNCC) was established by Government Sub- degree No 83 dated 20th November 1995. The CNCC is mandated as the coordinating body for advocacy, monitoring and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  Also established was a unit on Child Labor as a part of an International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC), as well as a Youth Rehabilitation Institute to care for children aged seven to 17 who come into conflict with the law.  In January 1996, the National Assembly adopted a law against the trafficking of children and women.

The Cambodian National Council for Children (CNCC) has strengthened its activities as a coordination mechanism between concerned institutions working on child protection. In this regard, community-based child protection networks have been enhanced and expanded to other provinces, and protection programmes for vulnerable children such as orphans, children with disabilities and children from very poor families in the community have been taken into account. All forms of child abuse, exploitation, illegal labour, prostitution, trafficking, debauchery and other immoral activities are gradually prevented and minimized. Yet, the children continue to encounter many problems such as poverty, impact of HIV/AIDS, drug use, debauchery, conflict with the law etc. Health and nutritional status of Cambodia’s children and women remain among the poorest in the world.1

Roles of NGOs in Cambodia
There are three types of institutional care currently exist in Cambodia1:
1)    20 government children’s centres;
2)    100 NGOs, 70% of which are registered with the Ministry and offer a range of recovery programmes aimed at reintegrating the child into society; and
3)    An unknown number of privately run children’s centres, some of which are registered with the Ministry. These services admit orphans and abandoned children, child victims of abuse and neglect, exploited children and children at risk in general, including children of very poor families. Among the NGOs some specialised in children living or working on the streets or in urban squatter areas, while others specialised in child victims of sexual or other abuse or exploitation.

Role of Smile Action Team

The Smile Action Team had been visiting the Cambodian children who are taken cared by NGOs and childcare centres in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap yearly since 2009. Up to date, we have treated 600 children with basic dental treatment such as tooth extraction and filling. Besides we have also taught the children the proper way to maintain their teeth healthily via oral hygiene instructions. More than RM20,000 has been spent on these treatment and instruments.

The orphanage homes and childcare centres which were benefited from our projects are as following:
1.    ACODO Orphanage
2.    Sunrise Centre
3.    Harvest Home
4.    FGA Childcare Centre
5.    HOPE Youth Development center
6.    Orphanage home neighbouring to FGA
7.    Chey’s Children’s Home
8.    Angkor Orphan Organisation (AOO)
9.    Cambodian Development Organisation (CDO)

Average there are about 50-60 children in each childcare centre. Some centres have no access to electricity and some are suffered from flooding during monsoon season, all these are the challenge for us to do the necessary treatments to the children.

Future Plan
In this year, we plan to pay our service up to nine orphanage homes, they are Angkor Orphan Organisation, Children Development Organisation, and a primary school in a village nearby Siem Reap as well as the six centres as mentioned above.

In next five years we wish to negotiate with the Cambodian Government in order to provide us a land to build a hospital as a centre for dental team and dentists from different places to gather and make possible treatments for the local poor people.


[1]3rd AIPA Caucus Report (2009) ‘Cambodia Country Report on Welfare and Protection of Children’.
[2] Mith Samlanh (2001), ‘Survey on Substance Use Among Street Children in Phnom Penh’ 12.
[3] World Vision, (2001) ‘Children’s Work, Adult’s Play: Child Sex Tourism – the Problem in Cambodia’, p.40.
[4] Child Welfare Group et al (2003) ‘Stop Violence Against Us’. p. 26

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