Long after the decline of the khmer rouge Cambodia’s children are still facing hardship. Read on to find out about the main challenges confronting the children of Cambodia.
Scarred by years of brutal warfare the children of Cambodia face a bleak future in the face of the burdens that lie upon them. Many children in Cambodia live in unimaginable conditions. With the odds stacked up against them they find it hard to keep a positive attitude about the future.
The homeless children and their families live on the streets and are therefore known as street children. Naturally they are vulnerable to so much harm both physical and mental because of not having their basic necessities of life fulfilled.
The pathetic situation in which the children of Cambodia are living goes to show the tragic consequences of the events that took place in the recent history of the country. The inability of the government to handle the problem is yet another testament to the poor political management that has its impacts on the lives of the Cambodian children.
Causes and Effects
The Khmer Rouge regime came into power and wreaked havoc by crossing all the lines when it comes to dealing with other human beings. Massive killings took place during the takeover by the regime which has left the poor people of the country in an utterly helpless situation.
Not even having their basic needs fulfilled the youth is far from receiving the guidance of their elders or education through proper schooling. Although the government claims to be putting in effort in order to raise the standard of living of the Cambodian children it is yet to show its results.
The capital city of Cambodia is experiencing a rapid growth in the number of homeless children. Coupled with the repatriation of Cambodian refugees this is posing serious accommodation problems for the country. Plagued by poverty and a poor crop yield along with constant warfare and gang action many Cambodian children are living in the worst and deadliest of environments.
The land is underutilized because of the landmines that are preventing people from making use of the fertile land. Furthermore we find that the rate of illegal trafficking of young people has increased in recent years. The Cambodian youth in their pitiful condition are being used against their will for sexual exploitation. The Cambodian youth problem has given raise to sex trade which is on the up in Cambodia.
The three key issues leading to the problems in which the children are today can be identified as firstly the problems within families that lead to their breakdown. Then you have the major issue of poverty. Lastly many of the street children are orphans who have no parent or higher authority to help or guide them in any way.
All these factors combined have led to urban migration in huge numbers. Once in the urban environment the children are forced to work in order for the families to be able to make ends meet. With insufficient medical care and lack of schooling opportunities the Cambodian children stand at a grave risk.
