On 19 February 2020, the Strong Family Campaign was launched to keep families together, prevent violence, and protect children in Cambodia.
This campaign, which is led by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, is the first of its type across the country. For four years, it will aim to raise awareness on two fronts: violence against children and unnecessary family separation. With over half of Cambodia’s children experiencing violence before the age of 18, the campaign’s aims are essential to keeping every Cambodian child safe.
Of particular emphasis are children in institutionalised care, as they are exposed to a greater risk of violence, exploitation and neglect when separated from their caregivers. As of 2018, 17,000 Cambodia children were living in residential care facilities – even though three out of four children have at least one living parent elsewhere. This is often a result of a misguided belief that children will receive better care and education in institutions.
Violence affects all of us. This campaign is an opportunity to mobilize all Cambodians to say no to violence and to secure a healthy, safe environment for their children and their families.
The Strong Family Campaign will harness four communications approaches to raise awareness across the country, including mass media, interactive communication technologies, community engagement and advocacy. This includes two public service announcements that were produced for the campaign (shown above and below), which are now airing on national television. The campaign is built on PROTECT: A Communication Strategy to End Violence and Unnecessary Family Separation in Cambodia, which was developed by the Ministry and UNICEF Cambodia to prevent and end violence against children.
The campaign was launched at a high-level event supported by UNICEF Cambodia, other ministries, development partners and civil society organisations. This builds on mountains of progress for children in Cambodia, as the government has increasingly stepped up for children’s safety within the past few years.
In 2013, for example, Cambodia became the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to conduct a national survey on violence against children in partnership with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF. The survey provided data on the magnitude of violence against children for the very first time – and response to those findings, the Royal Government of Cambodia developed the inter-ministerial Action Plan to Prevent and Respond to Violence Against Children 2017-2021 (Action Plan), which was informed by the INSPIRE principles. In 2019, the government reinforced its commitment to ending violence against children by becoming a pathfinder country with the End Violence Partnership.
Together, we will end violence against children and unnecessary family separation in Cambodia.
