Child protection regional workshop in Cambodia
British Embassy Phnom Penh is supporting a two-day regional workshop for professionals with responsibility for child protection.
Child Exploitation and Online Protection
The UK’s National Crime Agency, with support from the British Embassy, is delivering a two- day regional workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for professionals with responsibility for child protection.
The workshops, funded through the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and led by the National Crime Agency’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) command, allow representatives from law enforcement agencies, government ministries and non-government organisations to hear from experts across the region, and discuss how regional collaboration can support the mutual goals of reducing opportunities for children to be exploited.
This is the fifth regional workshop to take place and representatives from ten countries will be participating - Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Lao PDR, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Myanmar and the UK.
The ongoing engagement and training builds on CEOP’s partnership work to date in the region and in particular, the work of the International Child Protection Network (ICPN). The network, which includes advisory panels of specialists from law enforcement, education, children’s charities and NGOs, share understanding and best practice to help minimise the risks posed to children by adults with a sexual interest in them.
In addition, specialist officers from the National Crime Agency will be delivering training to police officers from the Cambodian National Police in online investigations, helping them in their understanding of technology and how offenders can exploit it to abuse children.
Tim Gerrish OBE, Head of International Partnerships at the CEOP command said:
In the seven years I have been involved in delivering these workshops, I have met and worked with some extremely dedicated people who want to make a difference to the lives of children. There is a real thirst for professionals to not only share knowledge and best practice, but to improve the regional collaboration and response to child protection.
The continued partnership between the National Crime Agency and the British Embassy in the region help us in our efforts top deter child sexual offenders through the demonstration of joint working.
Her Majesty’s Ambassador for Cambodia, Bill Longhurst said:
I am pleased that the British Embassy is able to help build capacity in the vitally important area of child protection here in Cambodia. The regional workshops should provide an excellent forum for a wide range of participants to share experiences and generate initiatives to help stop children being exploited.
Notes
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The regional workshops take place on Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 March.
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The workshops will be held at the InterContinental Hotel Phnom Penh, 296 Boulevard Mao Tse Toung, Phnom Penh 3, Cambodia.
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Transnational child sexual offenders – not ‘sex tourist’
Transnational child sexual offenders seek to offend against the world’s most vulnerable children in the hope that they will evade detection and prosecution. The phrase ‘sex tourism’ sanitises the reality of what is taking place. The ‘sex’ is forced, therefore it is rape. The word ‘tourism’ implies sun, sea and sand when frequently children are sought in the most deprived areas of the world.
- International Child Protection Network
The International Child Protection Network brings together experts from all walks of life to share expertise, build knowledge and limit offender opportunity. The work of the ICPN is active in many parts of the world – areas where we have worked to build up partnerships and knowledge and where from experience, we know that children have been targeted, in particular by offenders travelling from the UK. More information can be found via http://www.ceop.police.uk/icpn
- Tim Gerrish OBE
In 2013, Tim Gerrish was awarded the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for Services to International Child Protection. The award is given to British nationals or anyone who has made an impact on services to the UK.
* The National Crime Agency is a new crime-fighting agency with national and international reach and the mandate and powers to work in partnership with other law enforcement organisations, to bring the full weight of the law to bear in cutting serious and organised crime. The CEOP command works with child protection and law enforcement partners within the UK and overseas to identify the main threats to children and coordinates activity against these threats to bring offenders to account. Visit http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk for more information.
- The CEOP command works with child protection and law enforcement partners within the UK and overseas to identify the main threats to children and coordinates activity against these threats to bring offenders to account. It is a member of the Virtual Global Taskforce which also includes the Australian Federal Police, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Italian National Postal and Communication Police, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Interpol. Further information is available at http://www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com/.