May 29, 2023, and on the 70th anniversary of Japan-Cambodia diplomatic ties – the Japanese Government, under Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects, has funded Save the Children in Cambodia with 637,383 USD to implement the "Eliminate Violence Against Children (VAC) in Cambodian Schools" project year 2.

 

This project from the first year, Save the Children, continues in the second year to eliminate violence in 43 public schools in Kampong Cham province and maintain the effective functioning of child protection systems, including reporting mechanisms in schools and communities, by conducting awareness-raising activities and participating in the development of a policy advocacy system with the cooperation of school stakeholders, including children, teachers, and Cambodian government officials at both the national and provincial levels, said H.E. Mr. UENO Atsushi, Ambassador of Japan, during the signing ceremony.

 

"Through this project, I hope that Cambodian children will be able to learn in a safer and more inclusive violence-free environment and that it will lead to an improvement in children’s healthy development and well-being," said H.E. Mr. UENO Atsushi.

 

“It is our great pleasure that we have been working closely with the government, particularly the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, in the first year of the project to respond to these needs. We worked with students and teachers to develop action plans to end violence in schools and reflect on their current practices and child protection mechanisms for improvement. We rolled out training to build the capacities of school management committees and student councils and strengthen coordination between school-based and community-based child protection systems to better identify and respond to violence in schools,” said Ms. MIYAWAKI Mana, Child Protection Project and Partnership Manager of Save the Children Japan.

 

She added that the second year will be another important year to reinforce the efforts and commitments of the schools, and Save the Children is committed to further strengthen the schools' capacities and resources so that they can take their initiatives in preventing violence and responding to violence when it occurs.