A new child protection campaign employs child-led advocacy in the fight against online sexual exploitation in Cambodia
TdH-NL finds impactful ways to teach children about online safety, the U.S., UK and Canada tighten their rules on Uighur-picked cotton, and we invite you to join our webinar on forced labour at sea.
(c) TdH-NL
Children in Cambodia are at a high risk of online sexual exploitation due to increasing internet usage in the country. The number of Cambodians with internet access has risen sharply in recent years and the closure of schools due to COVID-19 has led to even greater internet usage among young people – around 9.7 million people, nearly two-thirds of the country’s population, now spend time online. This poses a great risk to children, who become vulnerable to online child sexual exploitation (OCSE) when they are online at home. Many have already fallen victim to this crime.
These children suffer with many issues beyond the physical experience itself. Their mental health deteriorates and they lose the ability to trust others and hope for a better future; they can experience depression and anxiety, and are likely to blame themselves for what has happened to them.
In response to this situation, Terre des Hommes Netherlands (TdH-NL), a child protection NGO based in Phnom Penh, has been implementing projects that focus on the prevention of online child sexual exploitation in Cambodia and other countries in Asia. Last year it joined forces with Cellcard, one of Cambodia’s largest internet service providers, and together they launched the Protect the Children, Protect the Future online safety campaign, in October 2020. The campaign aims to spread awareness among Cambodian children and youth on the dangers posed by websites, social media and apps, and on how to avoid and overcome these risks.
The campaign was launched with a two-day event in Siem Reap, in which TdH-NL’s 35 youth leaders, and more than 200 children from surrounding schools and children’s clubs, were invited to learn digital advocacy skills from pop singer Suzana Reth and YouTuber Bunleng. The two influencers, who between them have more than two million online followers, shared their tips on video editing and content creation, in order to spread their messages of online safety and empowerment. The campaign was also launched as a Facebook page, where information on online safety is frequently shared through videos and images created by the influencers and by children themselves.
At the end of 2020, Cellcard launched a national video competition as part of the campaign. The objective was to encourage children and youth to create videos addressing issues such as child labour, trafficking, exploitation, school dropout rates, sexual abuse materials and child abuse (including physical and emotional abuse, neglect, bullying and deprivation), and to share these videos among children, adolescents, parents, communities, and local authorities.
This year, the campaign is encouraging children to share their hopes and dreams for the new year, in order to promote positive thinking for 2021. The Facebook page will also be handed over to TdH-NL with the goal that it becomes a resource for protection from OCSE in the Khmer language, primarily fed by child-led content.
To learn more about the campaign and to find out more about starting a similar initiative, contact Rilian Agunos, Regional Communications Officer at Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Asia.
Here’s a round-up of other noteworthy news and initiatives:
Following last week’s feature on a new model to detect forced labour risk on fishing vessels, we will host a webinar on 27 January to hear from the researchers involved. The team will explain the indicators used to identify high-risk vessels, as well as discuss how their study can be used by anti-trafficking actors as a new tool with which to identify the ships likely to use forced labour, and support targeted efforts in the future. To join the webinar, please register here.
‘Survivors are the ones who are most affected by trafficking and it is only right that they lead in the process of fighting this crime. Otherwise who are we really fighting for?’ says our colleague Sophie Otiende, who has joined the board of directors at The Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS). Congratulations, Sophie!
Delta 8.7, the Alliance 8.7 Knowledge Platform, would like to invite survivors of modern slavery who are researchers, academics, practitioners and/or work on policy development or implementation, to provide them with feedback on three domain-specific policy guide drafts (Crisis, Justice, Markets).
To celebrate the launch of the updated Interactive Map for Business of Anti-Human Trafficking Organizations and Initiatives, GBCAT and GI-TOC are hosting a webinar on Anti-Human Trafficking Corporate Partnerships, on 26 January 2021 (5pm CET/11am EST). The webinar will showcase successful anti-trafficking partnerships between business and non-profit organizations or initiatives.
Last week, the U.S. issued a region-wide withhold release order on products made by slave labour in Xinjiang. The UK and Canada also tightened their rules on using Uighur-picked cotton, however, the UK’s measures do not include an introduction of import bans and mandatory due diligence legislation for UK companies. This article in Sourcing Journal’s 2021 sourcing report explains the complexity of untangling supply chains from Uighur forced labour in Xinjiang.
Dozens of children are still waiting to be reunited with their families after crossing into Sudan alone to flee conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, increasing their risk of abuse, trafficking and child labour.
Bangladeshi nationals are being trafficked to the West African country of Togo by air, lured by their possible entry to Italy, according to victims and rights activists, who suggest that Togo is emerging as a new trafficking route into Europe from Bangladesh.
OSCE is currently conducting a survey to learn more about the impact of and response to trafficking in people of national minorities, and invites your responses.
Seefar is seeking an experienced Project Manager, with complete fluency in both German and English, to support its work in justice, migration and social inclusion to build a better future for vulnerable people. You can be based anywhere in the world for this role.
Share your news
Post your experiences from the field and initiatives to feature