The Middle Way: Bridging the gap between Cambodian culture and children’s rights

A research commissioned by Save the Children Norway, Plan International- Cambodia, and UNICEF-Cambodia, and implemented by the NGO Committee on the Rights of the Child (NGOCRC). This research addresses the lack of comprehensive information available in Cambodia relating to knowledge, attitudes, and practice of ‘children’s rights’ as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It is aimed to assess the level of awareness, understanding, and application of children’s rights at the household level, specifically among parents and children of various socio-economic levels in both urban and rural areas. Children were involved in planning the research, data validation, and formulating recommendations. A very high proportion of child respondents (50% of all focus group participants and survey respondents) was intentionally selected to ensure that children’s interests were clearly and directly represented in the findings. The research recommends that governmental and private agencies should adopt more culturally-appropriate methods of education and promotion if children’s rights are to be fully realized at the family level.