The Awful Truth

The following statistics are evidence that Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children are real and a very serious problem! We hope it’s just a bad dream, but the awful truth is it is a nightmare that won’t go away (i.e. if we just sit around and do nothing)…

• There are 1,200 street-living children in Phnom Penh, and between 500 and 1,500 children are living with their families on the streets in provincial towns.
• 27,950 children between the ages of seven and 17 are in child domestic labour in Phnom Penh alone. Almost 3/4 of the child domestic laborers do not receive any pay. Almost 26,000 cases of injuries were recorded (some cases several injuries were suffered by the same child), and 17,602 children reported ill-health.
• A local NGO has reported a monthly intake of approximately 60 street children into its shelter for vocational and literacy training. The NGO reported observing 80 to 100 new children on the streets every month.
• Around 50% of Cambodia’s 12 million population are children under 16 year-old and about 55,000 of them are working as prostitutes!
• 45% of children – nearly 2.5 million – suffer of malnutrition and lack of medical care. 35% of all street children registered in 2002 displayed stunted growth. Poor mental health is an issue for street children who show low self-esteem and exhibit self-destructive behavior.
• 66% of children do not have access to clean water.
• In the year 2001 there were 50,000 orphans, children of AIDS patients’ parents. The UNICEF estimates that if the growing rhythm of AIDS continues the same, by the year 2010 the country will have around 142,000 orphans.

"At first I refused to have sex with men. Then I was beaten so badly I had to hide my face for a month, until it healed. Then I was told again I would have to sleep with the customers. I knew if I refused I would be beaten again. I had no choice but to agree."
Quote from a Cambodian girl's trafficking ordeal

The truth hurts, doesn’t it? If you are disturbed by the facts and figures, why not step up and do something? The first thing you can do is to help spread the word around. The more people are aware of the children’s plight, the more chances they have of a better and brighter future.