Guide to community based child protection. The village safety net programme in Cambodia

The core of the Village Safety Net Program (VSN P) can be summed up in the words of the villagers themselves, who described it as an initiative that “brings together authorities, parents and children in a workshop to discuss about violence against children – trafficking, sexual abuse of children, physical punishment, HI V/Aids and child labour, what these are, and their effects on our children and our communities, and encourages us to work together to stop the violence and to protect our children better!” Save the Children Norway (SCN) has implemented this child protection program in Cambodia for ten years. The Village Safety Net Program tackles the challenges of child protection in a holistic way, by strengthening families, communities and child protection networks from commune to provincial levels. The VSN P is engaging and working with local authorities, civil society groups and community members, including children. It links with and feeds this work into provincial and national child protection initiatives, and as such encourages systems building for child protection at community and national level.