REPORT

Childhood Behind Bars: Growing up in a Cambodian Prison

Released in February 2015
F T M

As of November 2014 there were 40 children between the ages of one month and almost four years living with their mothers in the Cambodian prisons monitored by LICADHO. Approximately half of them were born in prison and have never experienced life beyond the prison walls. Whilst there have been few detailed studies assessing the long-term impact of prison life on a child’s development, it is clear that for some children early life behind bars can have devastating physical and psychological consequences and life in Cambodian prisons is no exception.

This report is the second in a series of case studies issued by LICADHO which endeavor to bridge the gap in knowledge about young children in Cambodian prisons. The first report detailed the experiences of one boy, Sokun, who lived with his incarcerated mother in Phnom Penh’s Correctional Center 2 (CC2) prison until he was six years and ten months old. The report concluded that for Sokun, the positive opportunity to bond with his mother may have outweighed some of the negative experiences of prison life, but that Cambodian authorities should have done much more to ensure special measures were in place to protect him from other harmful impacts.

Resources

Prisoners of Interest

Read through the list of politicians, activists and unionists unjustly arrested for their peaceful activism.

Court Watch

Keep track of court cases against human rights defenders, environmental campaigners and political activists.

Right to Relief

An interactive research project focusing on over-indebted land communities struggling with microfinance debt.

Cambodia's Concessions

Use an interactive map to explore Cambodia’s land concessions.