Youth Legal Rights Program
In 2009 SISHA commenced its Youth Legal Rights Program which is designed to teach legal rights to marginalized young people living in Phnom Penh and attending schools run by Village Earth.
By providing education on a range of issues that youth in Cambodia face today, the course aimed to empower the students to make reasoned and logical choices that are informed by an understanding of the legal, political, social and cultural consequences of their decisions. By the end of the course, participants became equipped with the knowledge and life skills to protect themselves and their peers against human trafficking and other forms of exploitation, assert their legal rights confidently and develop a greater appreciation for the rule of law.
In 2010, due the success of the 2009 pilot course, SISHA ran another training course at Boeung Kak Youth School located in the slums of Phnom Penh. Eight outstanding students from the pilot course were selected to become peer educators and delivered the courses to the new students. These peer educators were trained by SISHA legal staff to deliver the course and impart their knowledge to other at-risk young people in the community.
After training the peer educators, SISHA and the peer educators conducted the course for 30 impoverished youth. By encouraging peer educators to deliver this information on youth legal rights to students, the course will encourage an information-sharing approach to the course contents,inspiring students to further spread the knowledge they gain to members of their community.
SISHA ran its most recent Youth Legal Rights Program in 2011. Delivered to 30 students from A New Day Cambodia, the eight-session program covered the following subjects:
- What Are Laws and Why Are They Important?
- The Legal System in Cambodia
- Human Trafficking
- Domestic Violence
- Drug Abuse
- Safe Migration
- Human Rights
In response to the students’ recommendations, the subjects ‘Law and Gender’ and ‘Civil Law’ will be added to the curriculum in future courses.
SISHA is currently looking for support to provide this course to 90 more youth in 2012:
- $150 provides 30 course curriculum books
- $60 supports one youth to participate in the course
In October 2010, SISHA launched our new Hope Scholarship Award Program
Through this exciting new program SISHA selects 3 of the most outstanding students each year from our Youth Legal Rights Training Courses to receive full financial support to attend university and study a degree related to law, human rights or the social sciences.
The Hope Scholarship builds on our work with the Youth Legal Rights Training, giving all students a tangible incentive and allowing us to create a sustainable impact on Cambodia’s youth, changing the lives of young Cambodians every year.
SISHA firmly believes in the value of education as a key strategy for the elimination of human rights abuses. This program offers a chance to lift Cambodia's most vulnerable youth and their families out of the extreme poverty that makes them so susceptible to exploitation. It also empowers them to build the values of good citizenship, become role models for their peers, and work to make their own society a better place from within.
The award pledges full support to selected students for the entire 4 years of their degrees, covering tuition and all other costs related to their studies. SISHA also offers the computers, facilities and guidance available at our office to recipients, and will continuously encourage and support them in becoming outstanding citizens. On completion of their studies, all recipients are also offered 6 months of work experience here at the SISHA headquarters, where they can pick up the practical skills necessary for a successful career.
The first three girls to be selected were delighted at the news of the scholarship and are already launching into their new lives and new hope for the future. "I like it so much", said one of the girls when asked how her studies were going. Another described the scholarship as "a dream come true".
The Youth Legal Rights Course will continue to reach more young people in 2011, and SISHA will extend the Hope Scholarship to more of our top students each year thanks to the generous support of our expert advisor – Mrs. Georgina Hope Rinehart.
SISHA USA