Battambang Welcome Centre

Why we work

It has been estimated that at least 200-225 thousand women and children fall victim to human being trafficking in south-east Asia every year. This figure accounts for approximately one third of all world trafficking.
The widespread poverty, unemployment, exodus of campaigns, corruption and geographical position in the centre of Indochina, make Cambodia a country of origin and transit of trafficking victims. Cambodian women and children in particular are taken to Thailand and Malaysia where they are exploited sexually, for forced labour in factories, or as maids. Every month, somewhere between 800 and 1,000 Cambodians are expelled by the Thai police, 50% of these are children, and approximately 100 minors are ‘unaccompanied', having entered the vicious circle of human being trafficking. They are deported from the municipality of Poi Pet, on the Thai border, to Bangkok and the other large cities of Thailand.

Our aimsTo guarantee the recovery and physical, psychological and social development of child victims of human being trafficking and street children in the area of the five provinces of north-west Cambodia.To ensure suitable basic living conditions and offer up the opportunity for education, training and work, in order that the children can grow up into balanced adults, integrated into the social fabric of their community.

How we work120 children aged between 5 and 18 years old. The Battambang Centre welcomes child victims of human being trafficking who have been expelled from Thailand, and street children at risk of exploitation. The project also sees the parents as beneficiaries, where the re-inclusion of the children in the family is positively assessed.

Description of the projectIn order to recover the psycho-physical health of the children and adolescents welcomed to the Centre, a protected environment has been created that focuses on their needs, where qualified staff take care of them through the following activities:
- Medical and psychological assistance, food care, personal hygiene and clothing;
- Reconstruction of the child's history, search and assessment of the family;
- Inclusion in the public school and informal education (literacy, repair courses, manual activities to acquire useful skills);
- Professional training and accompaniment to work inclusion for adolescents aged above 15 years old;
- Identification of an alternative arrangement to the centre where re-inclusion in the family is not possible.
Where re-inclusion in the original family is possible, an accompaniment involving the entire family nucleus begins. This entails:
- Accompanied visits to the child and regular meetings with the families;
- Accompaniment for at least 1 year from re-inclusion;
- Economic support to families for child maintenance costs;
- Training and professional support to families to help them improve their income and access to micro credit.