[aarambh talk] Learning From Cambodia
Visiting another country offers no dearth of, what those who work with children refer to as, ‘teachable moments’- unexpected events that provide the opportunity and set the scene for the delivering and imbibing of knowledge. Seizing the perfect moment can turn error into enlightenment.
In our visit to beautiful Cambodia, there were times when we struggled, fumbled, lost our way. Some challenges we solved with common sense, some we stuck through, sometimes we had to try new things for the first time in our lives and for some, we relied on the kindness and wisdom of strangers. Each encounter helped us discover something within ourselves – new feelings, new ideas, new paths to follow and a new clarity in our hearts and minds.
Throughout our journey, we met amazing organizations and the even more amazing people who work in them doing extraordinary work in not-so-simple circumstances. From comprehensive child protection systems to new models of sustainability to cutting edge online patrolling, the work being done by a relatively young and resurgent nation was inspiring to witness.
These are some of the sights and stories that we brought back with us.
M’Lop Tapang, Sihanoukville
The maroon shirt of the M’lop Tapang Social Worker and their bright yellow motorbikes are ubiquitous sights across the beach and port town of Sihanoukville. Like any bustling tourist spot, the color and noise tend to mask poverty and vulnerability of some of the local population. Large number of street children are particularly at the risk of abuse and neglect. For these children, the maroon and the yellow signal much-needed help and hope.
In 2003, a group of concerned citizens and foreigners came together to help six street children who were living under the shade (M’lop) of a Tapang tree. The support began with food, followed by shelter and then schooling. As time went by, more and more children began to come under the protective shade of M’lop Tapang. Today, it is an organization of 200 local heroes who provide comprehensive care to over 4000 children and their families.
We had the opportunity to visit their educational facility where thousands of children received education, care and nutrition every day. Even spatially, it was a beautiful structure – sunlit, airy, colorful and echoing with the joy of children. Some of the teachers/social workers were once street children themselves and are now role models and inspirations for coming generations.
We were taken to one of the slums they work in where they had established drop-in centers for children. What was striking about their on-ground work was the emphasis the organization had on the importance of family in the life of the child. They were supporting families and communities to help support and protect the child.
M’lop Tapang comes across a rare organization that reaches wide and deep, with solid foundations while branching out into the future. Not unlike the benevolent Tapang tree.
The Children’s Court of Sihanoukville
This singular structure completely and absolutely, in these many words – blew our mind. The new Children’s Court in Sihanoukville clearly leads the way in setting an example as to how child friendly courts should be designed.
For one, it was clean and smelled of freshness rather than the rank desperation that haunts most courts that we are familiar with. The child victim and accuser had separate entrances into the main court. The accusser was provided with a holding cell. If the child victim so chooses, she/he could sit outside the court and communicate via state of the art audio-visual technology. In case the tech was having a bad day, there are curtains and screens which can be used to prevent any interaction between victim and accused.
It was as if, in one moment, all that we read and imbibed and dreamed of till now, came staggeringly true. Kind of like finding water on Mars.
The ChildSafe network is a global child protection system, conceptualized and established by Friends International. The network undertakes child safety audit of local hotels and Tuk-tuks. They sensitize the staff and issue ‘thumbs up’ stickers that certify that they adhere to the principles of the ChildSafe movement.
It was always heartening to view a ChildSafe sticker as one walks into a hotel or boards a tuk-tuk. In creating the network, the activists have clearly succeeded in initiating conversations which are needed. While India struggles to admit that ‘orphanage tourism’ is an issue, Cambodia discusses it in broad daylight.
Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE)
The video is sharp but has the characteristic askew focus of a hidden camera. We see a young boy, around 10 years of age, walking, skipping down a mud road. He reaches a white wall at the edge of the screen and stops. There is heavy shrubbery around the wall and one can see a trace of a bungalow that lies behind. In a wink of an eye, the gate opens and the boy disappears inside. The camera remains fixed and the emptiness of the mud road quickly turns creepy and chilling.
The mansion belongs to an American national. He has already been arrested for multiple sexual offences against children. But despite knowing that, the video represents a reality that is difficult to process.
Cambodia is a hotbed of sex tourism and trafficking. It is a popular destination for travelling sex offenders and pedophiles to hole up. They feel that they can take advantage of the people’s vulnerabilities and hoodwink the system.
It is organizations like APLE, in whose offices we watched the above video, that stand in resistance. It works closely with law enforcement agencies like the FBI, Interpol etc to conduct raids and take down offenders within Cambodia. To combat child pornography on the internet, they have started a hotline for reporting.
The work is risky, meticulous and confidential. But for the some of most susceptible children across the world, they are justice.
Q: How does a fried tarantula taste like?
A: Its legs are like chips and the body is like chicken liver.
This information came to us courtesy Tree Alliance, an organization that runs fine dining restaurants where children from underprivileged backgrounds are trained and perfected for the best in the hospitality sector. With beautiful restaurants, eccentric menus, delicious food and wonderful, knowledgeable staff, the Tree Alliance restaurants are a unique experience. They seem passionately and equally invested in the all round success of both, the restaurant and the children in their care.
A Tree Alliance restaurant demands to be judged with the best in the sector, without any condescension or concession. It stands tall and comes out at the top of the shelf.
Preserving Paradise
Its natural beauty and rich culture makes Cambodia an experience in something resembling paradise. But it is the tenacity of its people that ensures that it remains and perseveres.
It is this resilience that is truly beautiful.
