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'Don't Grind an Egg Against a Stone'--Children's Rights and Violence in Cambodian History and Culture

NCJ Number
221555
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 16 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2007 Pages: 383-400
Author(s)
Glenn Miles; Nigel Thomas
Date Published
November 2007
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examines some of the issues in promoting children's right to protection in Cambodian society, whose recent history features violence, conflict, and problematic adult-child relationships.
Abstract
Study findings suggest that abuse and maltreatment are daily experiences for many Cambodian children. This occurs in the context of a history and culture filled with armed conflict and violence inflicted by its own leaders and neighboring Vietnam. An interesting finding from the current research on children's attitudes toward being a victim of violence is their view that it is not acceptable for children to be beaten or bullied, much less to be raped or sold. Many of them had direct or indirect experiences of such maltreatment. The Cambodian Government could do much to address some of the violence currently experienced by children. This could be done through sanctions for corporal punishment in schools and the promotion of nonviolent discipline methods, the prosecution of parental cruelty to children, countermeasures for trafficking in children, and control of the prevalence of and exposure to video violence and pornography. Religious leaders can also do more to promote nonviolence and to emphasize traditional values of dignity, tolerance, and compassion. It is encouraging that Cambodia ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child on October 15, 1992; and the 1993 Cambodian Constitution refers to this convention. The current survey of Cambodian children involved an anonymous questionnaire administered to 1,314 children ages 12 to 15. This included approximately 50 children from each Province. Also, a series of seven focus groups were conducted with children in selected Provinces. 4 tables and 30 references