Ecpat Project

Why we workIn Cambodia, the problem concerning the sexual exploitation of women and children, is extremely serious. Social inequality, poor access to production means (land in particular), limited family resources and institutional weakness, worsened by 20 years of war, have made Cambodian women and children vulnerable to sexual abuse. For many children, sexual exploitation of children for commercial purposes has become a strategy for survival. Given the demand generated by international tourism, and the facility with which high earnings can be obtained, the traffic of children for sexual exploitation has increased significantly. Although the government and civil society are aware of the importance of an in-depth awareness of the trafficking in order to plan efficient intervention, at present, data collection is still very much fragmentary and there are very few statistical studies on the subject. In this context, ECPAT has set up a database managed by the civil Cambodian society that allows for the collection of accurate data on victims, given that the NGOs can set up relations of trust with those involved. ECPAT is also able to activate a network of at least 35 NGOs throughout national territory, for data collection governed by a shared methodology. On the basis of past years' results, the ECPAT database has been recognised by the government as one of the most reliable tools for the analysis of trafficking for sexual exploitation, and the data collected is integrated into the 'National Information Reporting System’.

Our aimsGeneral objective:
A better understanding of the phenomenon of sexual violence and the process and dynamics of human being trafficking for sexual exploitation in Cambodia.
Specific objective:
To offer Cambodian and international NGOs a reliable statistical analysis of the extent of sexual violence and trafficking for sexual exploitation in Cambodia in 2009, as a basis by which to identify the most efficient response mechanisms.

How we workBENEFICIARIES
• 35 Cambodian NGOs involved in the defence of the rights of women and children will be strengthened in terms of their capacity to collect data and analyse the problem of trafficking and sexual violence. The NGOs’ capacity to work as a network and coordination will also be strengthened.
• The Cambodian ministries will see their capacity for data collection on trafficking and sexual violence strengthened, integrating the data collected in the NTF computer system;
• 400 NGOs and/or international institutions and 200 NGOs and/or Cambodian institutions will have access to a report containing a clear analysis of the situation of trafficking and sexual violence in Cambodia.

Description of the projectThe project presented by ECPAT-Cambodia [End Child Prostitution, Abuse, and Trafficking in Cambodia], aims to present an accurate analysis of all those cases of sexual violence and trafficking for sexual exploitation that have been faced by two of the most important NGO networks in Cambodia in 2009: NGOCRC [NGO Committee on the Rights of the Child], a network defending the rights of women and children consisting of 46 organisations, and COSECAM [Coalition to Address Sexual Exploitation of Children in Cambodia], a coalition of 25 NGOs involved in the fight against the sexual exploitation of children. The information gathered on the individual cases will then be analysed in order to define an overview of the current situation. Special attention will be paid to the analysis of the trafficking process, its causes and motivations, the consequences entailed, the forced or voluntary recruitment of victims, the characteristics of the victims and traffickers, the national and transnational routes most widely used and the efficiency of prevention and combating methods. ECPAT has carried out this analysis every year since 2005, optimising the awareness of the organised civil society. Over the years, ECPAT has been able to improve the methods used and involve an increasing number of associations.