00:00Not far from the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat, these monks are learning some modern lessons.
00:11When people get angry with their children or grandchildren, they used to hit them physically
00:16or curse them verbally, but now we are teaching them the Dharma about non-violence.
00:22In this heavily Buddhist country, monks hold a special place in the community and a special
00:27responsibility.
00:33It's very important. Buddhist monks play a major role in our nation and society.
00:38They're part of the Pagoda Programme, which has been delivered by UNICEF and the Ministry
00:42of Cults and Religions since 2018.
00:45We have been able to mobilise over 1,500 monks in five provinces, which means more than 500
00:53pagodas, actually close to 600 pagodas, and we have reached about 8,000 people.
01:00Today, they're passing on what they've learnt to parents, grandparents and kids themselves.
01:09Children who suffer from violence, they become frightened. They don't perform well at school.
01:14They're panicked. They are not confident.
01:18My participation today helps me a lot. I will apply it to my family and society and will
01:26improve it further.
01:28The situation is still pretty dire for kids here in Cambodia. More than half have been
01:33physically assaulted and emotional and sexual abuse are also all too common. And that's
01:38not to mention child trafficking, child labour or child marriage, which are still big problems here.
01:45Advocates hope that could soon be about to change, with the country on the brink of passing
01:49its first ever child protection laws.
01:55In order to improve the lives of our children, we have to make this law to protect their
02:00four rights, namely the right to survival, the right to protection, the right to development
02:06and the right to participation.
02:08If it's put in place, it will be the first country in the whole of Asia to have such
02:13a piece of law.
02:14It's hoped the new legislation will be endorsed by the Council of Ministers by the end of
02:19the year.
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