Cambodia

This country page features an interactive, icon-based data dashboard providing a national-level overview of the status of children’s care and care reform efforts (a “Country Care Snapshot”), along with a list of resources and organizations in the country.

List of Organisations

Leaflet Map data © Google

demographic_data

Demographic Data

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16.52 million
Total Population
NIS 2019 provisional census data
i
Awaiting full census data to be released
6.11 million
People
Total Population Under 18
Estimate
37%
Population Under 18
 
UNICEF statistical profile
4.6
People
Mean Household Size
DHS, 2014
26.9%
Prevalence of Female-Headed Households
 
DHS 2014
Lower Middle Income Country
World Bank GNI Status
World Bank 2016
12.9%
Living Below Poverty Line
 
ADB, 2020
37.9
GINI Coefficient
UN World Population Prospects 2019
0.582
Human Development Index
UNDP 2017

childrens_living_arrangement

Children's Living Arrangements

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%
Country
 
NO SOURCE GIVEN
73.9%
Living with Both Parents
 
DHS 2021 - 2022
i
National Institute of Statistics (NIS) - 2021-22
11.7%
Living with One Parent
 
DHS 2021 - 2022
i
National Institute of Statistics (NIS) - 2021-22
14%
Living with Neither Parent
 
DHS 2021 - 2022
i
National Institute of Statistics (NIS) - 2021-22
%
Effective
 
NO SOURCE GIVEN

children_living_without_bio

Children Living Without Biological Parents

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97%
Living in Kinship Care
 
BCN Analysis of 2014 DHS Data
3%
Living With a Non-Relative
 
BCN Analysis of 2014 DHS Data
84%
Both Parents Alive
 
BCN Analysis of 2014 DHS Data
10%
One Parent Dead
 
BCN Analysis of 2014 DHS Data
7%
Both Parents Dead
 
BCN Analysis of 2014 DHS Data

Children at Risk of Separation

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Children living below poverty line
896,877
children
MoP IDPoor Program round 7-9 (2013-2015)
i
Children living in level 1 and level 2 ranked households
11%
Children engaged in Child Labor
 
ILO/NIS 2012- UNICEF Statistical Profile 2018
10.1%
Children with Disabilities
 
Handicap International 2015
i
10.1 percent of children in Cambodia have a disabling condition
21.1%
Left Behind Children (Migration)
 
CRUMP series report MUP 2015
i
% of migrant households with left behind children
Children affected by HIV
4,061
children
UNAIDS 2015
i
children between 0-14
Street Connected Children
3,545
children
UNICEF Statistical Profile 2018
i
Children living on the streets counted in 7 provinces including all major hotspots
60%
Children experiencing violence
 
Cambodia's Violence Against Children Survey 2014
i
approximately 60 % of children experience a form of violence before 18 yrs old
Children in conflict with the law
1,540
children
UNICEF q.2 report 2019

Formal Alternative Care Arrangements

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0 Families/Parents
0 Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
0 Families/Parents
0 Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Total Family-Based Alternative Care
- - Families/Parents
- - Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Foster Care
- - Foster Families/Foster Parents
- - Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Formal Kinship Care
- - Families/Parents
- - Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Total Residential Care
639 Settings
26,187 Children
MoSVY 2017
Residential Care Institutions (RCIs)
406 Settings
16,579 Children
MoSVY 2017
Group Homes
71 Settings
1,592 Children
MoSVY 2017
Transit Homes/Temporary Emergency Accommodation
25 Settings
628 Children
MoSVY 2017
Boarding Schools/Boarding Houses
72 Settings
6,039 Children
MoSVY 2017
Pagoda and faith based care
65 Settings
1,349 Children
MoSVY 2017
Lancet Global Study Estimate of Children Living in Institutional Care
48,775 Children
i
Lower Bound: 48,775 Upper Bound: 48,775
Desmond, et al, 2020

Parental Survivorship

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92.8%
Children with Both Parents Alive
 
DHS 2021 - 2022
4.9%
Children with One Parent Alive
 
DHS 2021 - 2022
1.9%
Children with Both Parents Dead
 
DHS 2021 - 2022

Progress Indicators

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Country
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Effective
 
NO SOURCE GIVEN
% 1
Social Welfare Spending
ABD SPI 2015
i
This is the % allocated to social assistance from the SPI
$ 3.10 million
Child Welfare Spending
Social Protection Review OECD Cambodia 2017
i
1.7% of MoSVY budget in 2016
Alternative Care Policy in Line with the 2009 Guidelines
 
Mostly
Prakas on the Enforcement of the Policy on the Alternative Care for Children 2006 & Prakas on the Procedure to Implement the Policy on the Alternative Care of Children
i
Policy was developed prior to the Guildeines and requires amendments to bring it into full conformity
Centralised Authority on Adoption
 
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Commitment to Deinstitutionalistion
 
Yes
MoSVY Action Plan for Improving Child Care 2016-2018
Comprehensive Child Protection Law
 
Partly
UNICEF Quarterly Brief 5 2019
i
Current legal framework is fragmented however comprehensive Child Protection law is in development
Continuum of Alternative Care Services Available
 
Limited
NO SOURCE GIVEN
i
Data Source: Cambodia Country Care Profile 2020
Data System
 
Mostly
UNCIEF Quarterly Brief 5 2019
i
Includes National CPMIS, CMS, and government. CMS interoperability with primary CMS used by NGOs
Existence of a Regulatory Body and Regulatory System
 
Yes
Sub-decree 119 2015
Gatekeeping Mechanism/Policy
 
Mostly
Sub Decree 34, 119
Means of Tracking Progress with Reforms
 
Mostly
UNICEF Quarterly Brief 5 2019
Moratorium on Admission into Institutions for Children Under 3
 
Yes
MoSVY Action Plan for Improving Child Care 2016-2018
Moratorium on New Institutions
 
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
National Action Plan to Guide Reforms
 
Yes
MoSVY Action Plan for Improving Child Care 2016-2018
National Standards of Care
 
Yes
Prakas on the Minimum Standards for Residential Care of Children 2008 and Prakas on the Minimum Standards for Alternative Care in the Community 2008
Prevention of Separation Services Available
 
Limited
NO SOURCE GIVEN
i
Data Source: Cambodia Country Care Profile 2020
Support for Careleavers (in Legislation and in Practice)
 
Partly
Sub Decree 90, 116
i
Current provision is for a 1 time payment for young people exiting from state institutions, however this is under review.
1,393
children
Number of Children Reintegrated Out of Institutional Care
UNICEF Quarterly Brief 5, 2019

social_work_force

Social Service Workforce

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Workers
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Country
64.4
Workers
Social Service Workforce In the East Asia and Pacific Region Multi Country Review 2019 UNCIEF/GSSWA
No. of government social service workers with child protection responsibilities (per 100,000 children)
Workers
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Effective
A national workforce assessment and analysis carried out within the past four years
 
No
Social Service Workforce In the East Asia and Pacific Region Multi Country Review 2019 UNCIEF/GSSWA
i
Social Work Quality Assurance framework is under development
A system of licensing/registration of social service professionals
 
Yes
Social Service Workforce In the East Asia and Pacific Region Multi Country Review 2019 UNCIEF/GSSWA

key_stakeholders

Key Stakeholders

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Country
Government
Civil Society Organisations
Effective

Other Relevant Reforms

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Effective
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Child Protection
i
Child Protection and Care reforms are integrated in Cambodia
Cambodia Country Care Profile 2020
Decentralisation
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Relates to the transfers of child protection and social welfare service delivery from the MoSVY to the subnational level under the District Administration Structure
Cambodia Country Care Profile 2020
Social Protection
i
Increasing investment in social assistance and better targeting of vulnerable children through the Cash Transfer Program
Social Protection System Review of Cambodia 2017 OCED Development Pathways 2017

drivers_of_institutionalisation

Drivers of Institutionaliziation

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Country
Push Factors
Pull Factors
Effective

key_research_and_information

Key Data Sources

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Country
Effective

Acknowledgements

Data for this country care snapshot was contributed by partners at Family Care First and UNICEF Cambodia.

Displaying 1 - 10 of 276

List of Organisations

Rebecca Nhep,
This article extends clientelism theory to examine the impact of clientelism on the rights of children residing in these unregulated residential care facilities in Cambodia and Myanmar.
Family Care First,

The objective of this study is to document lessons learned from Family Care First (FCF) | Responsive and Effective Child Welfare System Transformation (REACT) members in Cambodia, as well as the literature from others working on transition globally, to create evidence-based recommendations to inform future transitions and closure of residential care institutions in Cambodia at scale. 

Robin Muney, Sophal Nguon, Thyrom Chhim - Family Care First,

This study was conducted by Family Care First (FCF), to enhance the understanding of common practices of kinship and foster care in Cambodia and identify gaps and good practices that are scalable to promote quality options for family based alternative care programs. FCF is a network of global organizations working together to support children to live in safe, nurturing family-based care.

Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the INSPIRE Working Group, the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN),

Case studies from the Global South provide insights on how to effectively support children who have experienced violence.

Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the INSPIRE Working Group, International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN),

Case studies from Peru, Cambodia and DRC provide lessons on how income support can contribute to keeping children safe.

Rebecca Nhep,

The article explores the implications of the use of clientelism in orphanage trafficking for prevention efforts, child protection governance reforms, and rehabilitation of children whose perception of exploitation and victimization has been shaped by their socialization to clientelism norms

Nop Sreymao - Khmer Times,

The Cambodia Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation launched its “Policy on Alternative Care for Children” to further prioritise the well-being of all children in Cambodia, including those whose circumstances require that they be cared for outside of a traditional family environment.

Rebecca Nhep, Sarah Deck, Kate van Doore, Martine Powell,

Although orphanage trafficking can be prosecuted under legal frameworks in some jurisdictions, including Cambodia, there have been limited prosecutions to date. One factor that likely contributes to a lack of prosecution is poor detection, yet the indicators of orphanage trafficking have not been considered by extant research. The current study was conducted as a first step towards providing evidence-based indicators of orphanage trafficking.

Better Care Network, Griffith University - Law Futures Centre,

Results from the Enhancing Identification, Prosecution and Prevention of Orphanage Trafficking Study in Cambodia.

Better Care Network, Griffith University - Law Futures Centre,

This is a list of indicators of acts: Unlawful Removal, Recruitment, and Transfer of a Child into a Residential Care Institution