This week marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. In Cambodia, as elsewhere, this event will be celebrated, but it is also an opportunity to raise public awareness of the problems faced by children and carry out advocacy activities.

Here at Aide et Action, we take pride in our collaboration with others, specifically other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and governments, to ensure we have the best expertise possible to achieve our goals. In Cambodia, we are a member of the Child Rights Coalition Cambodia (CRC-Cambodia), an alliance of 53 national and international NGOs advocating for child rights.

To support the rights of children and celebrate the anniversary of the UNCRC, CRC-Cambodia plans to promote awareness-raising on children’s issues and to conduct advocacy activities. On 20 November 2019, CRC-Cambodia will host a national Dialogue on Increasing Public Investment for Children. 

Commitment and awareness

The event will have over 60 participants from child- and youth-led networks, development partners, civil society organizations, the private sector and the government attending. Together, we will initiate discussions and awareness of Cambodia’s commitment to child rights though: a general update on the existing mechanism for monitoring and implementation of child rights; progress and challenges related to the child rights; the role of Child and Youth-Led Networks, Government, Development Partners, the Private Sector and Civil Society Organisations for promoting child rights; and a reflection on the program or existing strategies and commitment to promote child rights in Cambodia.

In the run-up to the event, CRC-Cambodia coordinated a photo contest on the theme of “Child Rights Defender”. The competition was open to those aged 12-35 years old with the objective being to include children and youth in the discussion of child rights. We hope that the competition will empower children and youth-led networks in discussing and raising their voices to advocate for child rights in Cambodia as well as celebrate and show the perspective of children.

To ensure children’s voices are heard and given the attention they need and deserve, children have been invited to the dialogue to air their concerns to representatives from government, development partners, NGOs, and the private sector.

Follow our Facebook page to see photos from the event when we post them.