Interior minister Sar Sokha (right) and Thai ambassador Cherdkiat Atthakor during the inauguration of the Poipet Victim Rehabilitation Centre and Shelter in Banteay Meanchey province on December 18. MOI
The Poipet Victim Rehabilitation Centre and Shelter was officially inaugurated on December 18. The purpose built facility in Banteay Meanchey province, which shares its border with Thailand, will serve the interests of migrant workers, especially victims of human trafficking.
According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, the inauguration was presided over by Minister of Interior Sar Sokha.
“The centre was designed to provide temporary accommodation, meals, healthcare, education, vocational training, and life skills to survivors and those who are vulnerable to human trafficking in a safe, non-discriminatory manner, regardless of race or disability,” said a ministry statement.
Built through cooperation between the governments of Cambodia and Thailand, the 9,780sqm facility, located in Prachea Thom Khang Keut village in Poipet town’s Orussey commune, was built at a cost of $2.9 million. The project broke ground on August 15 last year, and was completed on August 17 this year.
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Ministry spokesperson Em Chanmakara said the centre will be used to receive migrant workers returning from Thailand.
He explained that the facility will provide several services, including temporary accommodation, meals, healthcare and vocational training for vulnerable people and victims of human trafficking in a safe and non-racial discrimination manner.
Ny Sokha, president of local rights group ADHOC, said that when victims of human trafficking are liberated, what they need most is access to social services and justice. He was concerned that in the past, some victims and survivors had not received these services, and their issues had not always been sufficiently addressed by the relevant ministries and institutions.
“A dedicated rehabilitation centre is an additional resource that should be able to help meet the needs of victims of trafficking who are released back to their hometowns. It should provide them with food and shelter, as well as skills training that will enable them to earn a living,” he added.
Sokha hopes that following the inauguration of the centre, trafficking victims would receive all of the support and services that they need, in a timely and effective manner.
The Poipet Victim Shelter and Rehabilitation Centre was symbolically handed over on September 28, during a ceremony held at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh and presided over by Prime Minister Hun Manet and his Thai counterpart Srettha Thavisin.
