The audio recordings below are read by LICADHO staff based on the real experiences of two women, now released from prison, as they reflect on their time of incarceration with children, the challenges they faced, and the realities of life after detention. Their names have been changed to protect their identities, and their testimonies rearranged for clarity while staying true to their original meaning. The images in the video are creative depictions and may not necessarily reflect their actual stories.

***

***

Every child deserves a childhood free from fear and hunger, with opportunities to learn and spaces to play. Those raised behind bars are denied this right. To mark International Children’s Day, LICADHO is highlighting the experiences of pregnant women and mothers incarcerated with their children in Cambodia’s prisons.

Under Cambodian law, children are allowed to stay in prison with their mothers until the age of three. Here, isolated from the outside world and deprived of opportunities for education, adequate nourishment, and space to play, they effectively serve sentences alongside their mothers. Prison authorities only allocate an additional 1,750 riel (approx. $0.45 USD) per child per day for food and other basic needs; a rate that has not changed since 2018.

LICADHO calls on authorities to take immediate action and:

▪  Reduce overcrowding by granting bail and utilising alternatives to detention for all eligible mothers detained with young children, pregnant individuals, and minors and limit pre-trial detention to a measure of last resort as required by law;

▪  Implement measures for the early, temporary, or conditional release of minors, pregnant individuals, and mothers with detained with children who are convicted of misdemeanours or non-violent offenses, particularly those nearing the end of their sentences;

▪  Improve prison conditions to ensure every detained person has access to adequate nutrition, healthcare, family visits, and age-appropriate development opportunities, including recreational and play spaces for children;

▪  Review and increase the daily food allowance sub-decree for children in prison, which has been set at 1,750 riel per day since 2018, to ensure it meets their nutritional needs;

▪  Fully implement the National Social Assistance Fund (NSAF) ‘Pregnancy and Children Under Two’ program in Cambodia’s prisons, providing pregnant women and their children under two years with the promised subsistence allowance and benefits.