Cambodia Near Bottom in Global List of Children’s Access to Justice

The Child Rights International Network (CRIN) has released its worldwide rankings of countries’ protection of children’s legal rights, with Cambodia coming in at a lowly 166th place out of 197, just ahead of Libya and just behind Tongo.

The CRIN ranked the countries in the study based on how well they followed the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child. “The study focused on the status of the CRC in law, the legal status of the child, available remedies for children in court and the practicalities of accessing justice,” said spokesman Elliot Cass.

The CRIN attributed Cambodia’s low ranking to the country’s failure to create a court system specifically for minors. With no special courts for juveniles, many Cambodian children are tried in adult courts. “There is currently no separate juvenile justice system,” the report said, “although a draft juvenile justice law should come into effect soon.”

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