Child picking up trash for a living
A boy selling water bottle water to tourist for a living
Children pushing merchandise cart for a living
A girl and her younger sibling beg for a livingSARADA TAING
Posted on UPI Asia Online
Guest Commentary
In the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia and decimated its government, economy and society. The extremist communist group forced people out of the cities and into the countryside to forcibly work in labor camps. The Khmer Rouge killed nearly two million people through overwork, starvation and murder from 1975 to 1979. Cambodia was in the dark -- completely isolated from the world.
Although it has been three decades since that genocide, Cambodia is still struggling to recover from the misguided and fatal policies of the Khmer Rouge. It is one of the 50 poorest countries in the world as a result of years of civil war. It has remained in this impoverished state, however, because of corruption and the absence of the rule of law.
Cambodia's children are among the most vulnerable victims of this poverty. Thousands of them live in slums. Others are homeless and sleep on the sidewalk. They face starvation, illiteracy, diseases, drug addiction, HIV/AIDS, sexual exploitation, gang rape and human trafficking.
They are at risk, as no system exists to protect them. There is no government welfare system, for example, or free health care services. No one is alert to the ill-treatment of abusive parents. These children live without hope; they live in fear of their unknown future.
Many children moreover do not have enough food to eat. They sniff glue instead of eating breakfast, lunch or dinner. The glue takes away their hunger and makes them forget the pain in their stomachs.
Furthermore, many families in Cambodia are too poor to send their children to school. They cannot afford to buy school uniforms or to offer extra payments to poorly paid teachers to supplement their income, which can result in discrimination against the child. These families make their children work to earn money for the family. Most of them are scavengers who collect plastic bags or soda cans from the street or from the trash bin to sell, receiving about US$.50 a day for their labor. The children also pick up food from the street or the dump to eat. Sometimes they save this food for their entire family.
In Phnom Penh, many of the beggars at gasoline stations and restaurants are children. Most of their parents are from the countryside where they could not produce any agricultural products because of drought and land-grabbing. Consequently, the poverty afflicting adults becomes the poverty of children.
This reality is perhaps best comprehended by understanding the lives of adult beggars in Phnom Penh, many of whom sold their land to pay debts. In the countryside many poor families are forced to borrow money from private businessmen to pay for medical services or medicine when one of their family members gets sick or is injured.
Moreover, it is difficult for people in Cambodia to find a place to live. Land-grabbing, for example, has been a serious issue since the end of the 1980s. After the Khmer Rouge fell, Cambodians left the labor camps and went to look for a place to live. Everyone tried to get a piece of land; people grabbed whatever they could find.
Unfortunately, land is still being grabbed, but now powerful businessmen and government officials are taking the land of poor, powerless people. Those with economic and political power pay local officials to secure illegal land titles to valuable property and pay soldiers to evict the villagers from the property. The villagers are rarely compensated. If they refuse to leave their homes, officials use bulldozers to crush their small houses. Any further resistance by those who are forcibly evicted is met by the police and military with assault rifles and electric batons.
In these circumstances, Cambodia's judicial system is of little use: it is not transparent, and it rarely helps the poor. As a result, Cambodia lacks institutions to uphold the rights of those without influence. Those who are poor remain poor and, if anything, become more impoverished.
Cambodia's children are a product of this unjust environment. If Cambodia's children and, indeed, Cambodia itself are to have a future, the government must introduce and implement measures to quickly transform this scenario. The creation of rehabilitation centers for the children of the poor that provide food and clothes as well as organize sports activities for the youth would be a logical step in this direction.
Health care for the poor in both urban and rural areas would also be a welcome development, as would immediate steps by the government to end the practice of land-grabbing, especially the seizure of the land of the poor. In this regard, all land concessions should be cancelled and the land returned to landless or homeless families.
A comprehensive solution though entails support for the families of poor children so that they can receive adequate care from their parents and society. Education is a vital necessity for the children and the country so that child beggars do not become adult beggars in a few years. The children of today can become a valuable human resource for Cambodia instead of a weight on its future economy.
Having ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Cambodian government has indicated its intention to its citizens and the international community to uphold the rights of its children and meet their needs.
Cambodia has even expressed this intention in its own Constitution as it has inserted the provisions of the U.N. convention in Article 48 of the Constitution, in which it declares that the state shall protect the rights of children to life, education and health, that they shall be protected against economic or sexual exploitation and the violence of war.
While these actions by the government are positive developments, it is not enough without creating a domestic law and ensuring that this law is implemented. The government thus should enact a domestic law as soon as possible to rectify this shortcoming.
The international community in general, and the United Nations in particular, should assist the Cambodian government in achieving these goals, not just with aid, which naturally is a valuable contribution, but even more importantly with advice and encouragement to make the necessary legal changes that offer an institutional framework to support the other essential policies.
In addition, the international community should help strengthen Cambodia's civil society to enable it to better promote these changes and to monitor the actions of the government. Cambodia has lost a generation to the Killing Fields. It would be a further tragedy if another generation is lost in Cambodia to apathy, neglect and a lack of action by the government to serve the needs of its children.
--
(Sarada Taing is a program assistant for the Cambodia project at the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong. He was previously a human rights investigator and radio reporter for the Cambodian Center for Human Rights in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.)
Although it has been three decades since that genocide, Cambodia is still struggling to recover from the misguided and fatal policies of the Khmer Rouge. It is one of the 50 poorest countries in the world as a result of years of civil war. It has remained in this impoverished state, however, because of corruption and the absence of the rule of law.
Cambodia's children are among the most vulnerable victims of this poverty. Thousands of them live in slums. Others are homeless and sleep on the sidewalk. They face starvation, illiteracy, diseases, drug addiction, HIV/AIDS, sexual exploitation, gang rape and human trafficking.
They are at risk, as no system exists to protect them. There is no government welfare system, for example, or free health care services. No one is alert to the ill-treatment of abusive parents. These children live without hope; they live in fear of their unknown future.
Many children moreover do not have enough food to eat. They sniff glue instead of eating breakfast, lunch or dinner. The glue takes away their hunger and makes them forget the pain in their stomachs.
Furthermore, many families in Cambodia are too poor to send their children to school. They cannot afford to buy school uniforms or to offer extra payments to poorly paid teachers to supplement their income, which can result in discrimination against the child. These families make their children work to earn money for the family. Most of them are scavengers who collect plastic bags or soda cans from the street or from the trash bin to sell, receiving about US$.50 a day for their labor. The children also pick up food from the street or the dump to eat. Sometimes they save this food for their entire family.
In Phnom Penh, many of the beggars at gasoline stations and restaurants are children. Most of their parents are from the countryside where they could not produce any agricultural products because of drought and land-grabbing. Consequently, the poverty afflicting adults becomes the poverty of children.
This reality is perhaps best comprehended by understanding the lives of adult beggars in Phnom Penh, many of whom sold their land to pay debts. In the countryside many poor families are forced to borrow money from private businessmen to pay for medical services or medicine when one of their family members gets sick or is injured.
Moreover, it is difficult for people in Cambodia to find a place to live. Land-grabbing, for example, has been a serious issue since the end of the 1980s. After the Khmer Rouge fell, Cambodians left the labor camps and went to look for a place to live. Everyone tried to get a piece of land; people grabbed whatever they could find.
Unfortunately, land is still being grabbed, but now powerful businessmen and government officials are taking the land of poor, powerless people. Those with economic and political power pay local officials to secure illegal land titles to valuable property and pay soldiers to evict the villagers from the property. The villagers are rarely compensated. If they refuse to leave their homes, officials use bulldozers to crush their small houses. Any further resistance by those who are forcibly evicted is met by the police and military with assault rifles and electric batons.
In these circumstances, Cambodia's judicial system is of little use: it is not transparent, and it rarely helps the poor. As a result, Cambodia lacks institutions to uphold the rights of those without influence. Those who are poor remain poor and, if anything, become more impoverished.
Cambodia's children are a product of this unjust environment. If Cambodia's children and, indeed, Cambodia itself are to have a future, the government must introduce and implement measures to quickly transform this scenario. The creation of rehabilitation centers for the children of the poor that provide food and clothes as well as organize sports activities for the youth would be a logical step in this direction.
Health care for the poor in both urban and rural areas would also be a welcome development, as would immediate steps by the government to end the practice of land-grabbing, especially the seizure of the land of the poor. In this regard, all land concessions should be cancelled and the land returned to landless or homeless families.
A comprehensive solution though entails support for the families of poor children so that they can receive adequate care from their parents and society. Education is a vital necessity for the children and the country so that child beggars do not become adult beggars in a few years. The children of today can become a valuable human resource for Cambodia instead of a weight on its future economy.
Having ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Cambodian government has indicated its intention to its citizens and the international community to uphold the rights of its children and meet their needs.
Cambodia has even expressed this intention in its own Constitution as it has inserted the provisions of the U.N. convention in Article 48 of the Constitution, in which it declares that the state shall protect the rights of children to life, education and health, that they shall be protected against economic or sexual exploitation and the violence of war.
While these actions by the government are positive developments, it is not enough without creating a domestic law and ensuring that this law is implemented. The government thus should enact a domestic law as soon as possible to rectify this shortcoming.
The international community in general, and the United Nations in particular, should assist the Cambodian government in achieving these goals, not just with aid, which naturally is a valuable contribution, but even more importantly with advice and encouragement to make the necessary legal changes that offer an institutional framework to support the other essential policies.
In addition, the international community should help strengthen Cambodia's civil society to enable it to better promote these changes and to monitor the actions of the government. Cambodia has lost a generation to the Killing Fields. It would be a further tragedy if another generation is lost in Cambodia to apathy, neglect and a lack of action by the government to serve the needs of its children.
--
(Sarada Taing is a program assistant for the Cambodia project at the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong. He was previously a human rights investigator and radio reporter for the Cambodian Center for Human Rights in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.)
26 comments:
" Cambodia cannot afford to neglect its children " yiu are right! but the Vietnamese's slave and the Royal can!
These children does not look bad at all. They are all well fed. If you want to see bad looking children, you should look in Africa. There, you often see bony children with severe abdominal disorder ... .
Khmer Leaders must take one step further and take a look our Khmer Children suffer by your Govt. These children should be in school. All Khmer stands up and be united.
It's a good thing the khmer poor can find fruits and leave to eat. Not the same for African kids.
Well, we have a lot of schools and it's up to people to attend it. They all have freedom of choices.
How can we say the kids have a choice. You can see they are working, pushing carts, picking up trash, etc.
We know who this Animal Viet troller @6:52AM that pretending to be Khmer speaking for khmer is. This animal Viet troller will be castrated and then euthanized when time comes.
Go home Viet troller!
Go home Vietcong!
7:11, did you see anyone stop these kids from going to school?
We know who this Animal Viet troller @7:11AM that is pretending to be Khmer, speaking for khmer is. This animal Viet troller will be castrated and then euthanized when time comes.
Go home Viet troller!
Go home Vietcong!
Mr. 6:52 AM,
Freedom of choice? Please think it over again.
When the State recognises the right of the child to education as Cambodia does (every citizen has the right to 9 years of education- article 68 of the Constitution), it should provide education to the child and make education compulsory. There should be penalty for those parents or guardians who do not send their children to school, and the State should ensure that all children have the basic necessities for their schooling.
A law on compulsory eductation is long overdue. Perhaps our law makers should adopt this law as soon as possible and make sure that it will be enforced and resources are available for the education of all children.
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
Dr. Lao, compulsory law is evil and highly un-democracy. You should know already that it is the communist compulsory law that required everyone to do their equal share of their work, and penalized those who failed to deliver result.
It's enough to give people their right to education... . let's not shove anything down their throats, shall we?
This babaric Viet troller @8:58AM must be stopped at all cost.
Go home viet troller!
Dear reporter
Thank you for your intersting article.Our poor cambodians have lived through and seen enough of these on day to day basis.
Would you please send these pictures to our king just in case he has overlooked or wish to drop by to the site of living or wish to stay for a few days to gain better wisdom.
Telling to our PM would be a desperation because he likes to talk but not listen and king father is too old and hearing become selective.
Please send more and more to our king.
Thank you
Neang SA
11:38, everyone is aware of this situation in Cambodia, and we are working hard to get the parents works so that their kid don't have to work to feed themselves.
Furthermore, since you are making millions USD in you lifetime, why don't you help out?
What our government should do is just like Dr. LAO said, parents have a responsibility to send their kids to school and see to it that they get to school. Running around during school hours should be stoped and it's the job of The Cambodian's police officers to enforce. What are those majors and those governors are doing? trying to grow mold under their behind? and why mr. P.M isn't raising hell to them? Demote those dead wood idiots majors & governors crap down and put somebody new that can do the job do the work!! Waste of state money and time. Get rid of those dead woods! Look! there are plently of our new graduate students that need the job o.k. Get rid of them all! and give those young and fresh students what they deserve and that is a job of The major or the governors of The Cambodian town and cities and clean up this trashy image of our people. Those dead woods just got to go. Please somebody tell them to get lost!
Halaluya!
Wrong, 12:32, compulsory is evil and it is communist.
Anyway, if you have faith in Democracy, just be patient. people will make the right choices naturally without the need to use any force. In time, those drop out will use someone successful as role model and follow his/her footstep by seeking education.
When the new election time comes, let's vote all of those suckers out! Let's get some real lean candidate on the job and who will understand better of our people's problem. Just don't let me start it.
Dream on...12:48p.m. Where there is no rule and law, there is lawless and people just think it's o.k and it's a norm for them. Norm my royal brown..as..What is so hard about enforce some rule and regulation. We're not going to kill them or hurt them physicly. Just be stern and let those parents know that they got some real responsible here. If they cann't handle it. Fine them! Let's make some money for the state instead and if they don't pay the fine, they must loose their freedoom. Sent them to do some community work or something or tell them to go clean up those mess and those trash that are flying almost everywhere in Phom Pehn. Very gross and very disguisting! and how about the state open a real facility and provide them some real look out and food and clothing for them, if their parents are sick and so extremly poor? Why cann't our government do that? It's just very frustrating! They just seem careless, so helpless and so stupid. They are all seemed to be in a lala...land and look like deer in the head light. Very very stupid and just plan low. That is why Ah Vietcong know how to be their boss. That because they are so stupid! Can you blaim Ah Vietcong?!!!
To 3:43am.
That is your stinky and low standard. Not ours
Your low and stinky standard belong in Ah Vietcong land and not In Cambodia. Get it?
1:05, if your stupid westerner trained people get the hell out of Cambodia, we can live fine without rule of law. We never had it, and we never heard of any complaint about it either.
Leach.
See the type of mentality of The Cambodian Government today? Don't you just love them?
Yes, we do love our real Khmer government mentality.
Yeah! that is because you're sick and dumb. Stupid!
Where is the surprise? We all know you don't think much of us (khmer). Everything we have and do is wrong. So be it.
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