Monthly Update on Counter-trafficking Programs

Monthly Update on Counter-trafficking Programs

November 2005

Table of Contents:

1.) Top stories

2.) New directory members

3.) In the spotlight

4.) Asia Foundation recent events/activities

5.) Noteworthy within the counter-trafficking community

OTHER RECENT STORIES:

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In Cambodia, small victories against pedophiles

http://www.tipinasia.info/KH/brd-view.php?l=en&top=412&brd=01-01

Microsoft helps train Cambodian police to combat sex tourism via Internet

http://www.tipinasia.info/KH/brd-view.php?l=en&top=406&brd=01-01

For daily stories, log on www.TIPinAsia.info

NEW DIRECTORY MEMBERS:

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Since the official launch in July 2005, a directory of 30 NGOs, international organizations and government agencies including their provincial offices working to combat human trafficking in Cambodia has been posted on www.TIPinAsia.info. The directory provides detailed contact information of the organizations and their missions and activities related to fighting trafficking in persons. This month, two new groups signed in to the directory.

Enfants&Développement (E&D)

Director: Mr. Jerome Combes

Type: Shelter, community-based

Mission: E&D is dedicated to making a reality of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by implementing development programs aiming at the improvement of conditions for the most disadvantaged children and ensuring their right to survival, protection, development, education and health. E&D emphasizes the importance of the mother and the family by securing the child’s rights. E&D aims to address the roots of poverty and social inequality and works towards the achievement of sustainable solutions. [Click here for more details]

Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE)

Director: Stephanie Remion

Type: International NGO

Mission: APLE’s mission is to protect children from sexual abuses, reduce child sexual abuse committed by pedophiles in Cambodia, legally protect as well as to rehabilitate sexually abused children in Cambodia, reduce child prostitution, participate in national and international level to promote the fight against pedophilia in order to protect children both in Cambodia and worldwide. [Click here for further details]

IN THE SPOTLIGHT - ASIA FOUNDATION PARTNER: Mith Samlanh/Friends:

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Friends on Safe Migration: Established in August 1994, Mith Samlanh/Friends is a non-religious association working with Phnom Penh’s street children, responding to their needs and supporting families and the communities. Friends’ projects aim to help street children reintegrate into their families, the public school system, the workplace, and their culture through life skills training, vocational training, and shelter support. Friends’ staff includes 123 social workers, teachers, trainers, doctors, house parents, cooks, cleaners, and a small administrative team. Friends’ Executive Director is Ms. Ly Sophat.

Partnering with Friends since October 2003, the Foundation supports a safe migration program targeting young migrants entering Phnom Penh and the Friends shelter, providing room and board, life skills education, vocational training, and health services. On average, Friends met 264 young migrants monthly. Seventy two percent of migrants reported problems in Phnom Penh. Complaints ranged from bad treatment to being lured by the traffickers.

The young migrant program works closely with the vocational training center, placing young migrants in skills training whenever possible. Young migrants primarily select the following vocations: sewing, small business skills, cosmetology, and catering. Friends provides job placement services for clients who have completed training courses. On average, Friends facilitates job placement for 140 persons per year, about 60 percent of those who graduate from the vocational training program.

ASIA FOUNDATION RECENT EVENTS/ACTIVITIES:

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Coordination Meetings: The Foundation held one half-day coordination meeting on September 23. 42 participants from partner and non-partner organizations attended, including representatives from HAGAR, CWCC, Mith Samlanh, ADHOC, LSCW, RDA, E&D, Fit Media, APLE, COSECAM, CAS, Goutte d’Eau (Damnoek Toek), IOM, UNIAP, HCC, Chab Dai, World Vision, World Education, EWMI/HRCP, USAID, British Embassy, and WHI. Participants focused on two main agenda items: the launch and stakeholder consultation of the assessment of substance use among women and children survivors of exploitation and a sharing of the progress of prevention-related project activities of 4 NGO partners [Rural Development Association (RDA), CCPCR, Enfants & Development (E&D) and FIT Media].

For the meeting summary please see: http://www.tipinasia.info/KH/doc-view.php?l=&id=186

Research Update:

Participatory Trafficking Research Review – The Asia Foundation has commissioned the Centre for Advanced Study to conduct a review of research studies, assessments and surveys related with Trafficking in Persons in Cambodia. CAS has recruited the principal researcher, Dr. Annuska Derks to lead this project. The review aims to systematically collect and catalogue the literature on trafficking in persons in Cambodia. The review team will map the main facts, ideas, models and debates of the sector as reflected in the body of available research literature. A database will be established to catalogue research and other relevant information. The Centre for Advanced Study, in consultation with the Asia Foundation and other stakeholders will develop a system that will make this body of literature accessible electronically through keywords/access criteria that have been discussed with relevant stakeholders. Links with the TIPinAsia and other trafficking web portals will be established.

For more information and a summary of the result consultation meeting, please see: http://www.tipinasia.info/KH/doc-view.php?l=&id=191

Reintegration Assistance to Trafficked Women and Children – A Review. This research project examines approaches and practices that counter-trafficking organizations employ in the reintegration of women and children survivors of trafficking with the aim of informing the development of national standards in reintegration practices. The array of reintegration services offered by current service providers are explored during interviews with representatives of the reintegration departments of the service providers. Such topics include identification of trafficking victims, family/community tracing and assessment, short and long-term rehabilitation strategies, preparation for reintegration, monitoring and follow-up, and indicators of success. Challenges and best practices in the field of reintegration are identified. Factors explored in the interviews included personal resilience, home and community environment (prior to and following reintegration), perceptions of the service provider, and links between the nature of the trafficking/trauma and the capacity to reintegrate.

A consultation meeting was organized on November 10, 2005 to share the findings, gaps and recommendations of the review. The second part of the meeting focused on the findings and recommendations as a starting point in developing a standardization of certain “good practices” and other interventions. As a result of this research, The Asia Foundation hopes to continue working with the anti-trafficking community and specific organizations to strengthen reintegration strategies and highlight best practices for dissemination to other service providers to improve intervention activities.

For more information and a copy of the research report, please see

http://www.tipinasia.info/KH/doc-view.php?l=&id=193

The above programs are supported through funding from USAID.

FRIENDS OF TAF HIGHLIGHTS:

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King Joined E&D to Campaign against Child Trafficking

Kampong Speu province. King Norodom Sihamoni on October 11 joined schoolchildren and parents in Kang Pisey district to launch a campaign against child trafficking. Some 1,800 participants took part in the campaign, which was jointly organized by Enfants & Developpment (E&D) and its newly-established Village Child Protection Network of Kong Pisey district.

Text Box: King Norodom Sihamoni greets children’s representatives during the launch of the campaign. Photo/E&D “Today’s children gathering receives strong support from parents and is a good example that should be replicated in other districts around the country,” the King said.

The campaign aimed to raise the community’s awareness on child trafficking and urge them to collectively fight against it.

“To condemn human trafficking is not enough,” E&D Representative Jerome Combes said at the launch of the campaign. “You have to fight against it.”

Mr. Combes told the participants that succeeding in the fight against child trafficking requires that we be informed of different methods used by traffickers; identify and arrest traffickers; and help the victims to reintegrate into their community. He also told the crowd, mostly composed of schoolchildren and parents, that trafficking does not happen to others but “all of us are potential victims - so, you have to take care of yourselves,” he added.

Supported by USAID through The Asia Foundation, E&D in February 2005 established Village Child Protection Networks (VCPN) in Kang Pisey district’s 126 villages. Each VCPN is composed of three members, one village chief and two schoolchildren who are trained to be peer educators. These 126 VCPNs work under an 18-member Child Board composed of 2 children representatives and 1 commune councilor from each of the six communes of the district.

E&D provides technical and financial assistance to the Child Board and VCPNs in their efforts to combat all forms of child abuse, exploitation and trafficking in the community. Working closely with E&D, the Child Board, local authorities and other NGOs, VCPN has the following objectives:

To protect children in the villages from all kinds of abuse, exploitation, and trafficking;
To act as village focal point for coordinating issues pertinent to children;
To raise community awareness on child rights and child trafficking issues;
To solve or (if beyond the capacity) report to CB any negative case/issue related to children in the village;
To act as a village resource providing advice or information to villagers on children-concerned issues;
To provide necessary information and advice to children and parents who are going to send children or migrate to work in the city or other provinces about the risks involving their new lives elsewhere;
To assist the CB as well as the respective commune council in raising and preparing plans for integrating into annual or 3-year rolling investment plans of each commune council to ensure that the plans address children issues; and
To cooperate with other NGOs, institutions, associations, and agencies aiming at bring more impacts and effectiveness of the network.

Subscription information: The Asia Foundation provides this update in an effort to share information with the counter-trafficking community in Cambodia and the region. We very much welcome your feedback on these updates or on the TIPinAsia website or if you wish to join or remove your name from the list please send an e-mail to tafcb@asiafound.org.

Submitting information for our next update: If you would like your organization to be featured on our TIPinAsia website or in this update, please draft a short paragraph introducing your organization and/or your counter-trafficking activities. At this time, The Asia Foundation reserves the right to edit and make final decisions about entries that appear in these updates and on the website. We will contact you before printing information about your organization.