Mothers Behind Bars: The Impact of Detention on Women and their Children
Released in May 2015 Download this report in English (PDF, 910.11 KBs) | |
Download this report in Khmer (PDF, 1.11 MBs) |
In recent years considerable resources have been spent on developing guidelines on the implementation of non-custodial sentencing alternatives in Cambodia, yet such alternatives are rarely considered, even for obvious priority groups such as pregnant women and mothers with young children.
Similarly, judges are required to consider the personal circumstances of a suspect before ordering pre-trial detention, including whether they are pregnant or have young children. However, in practice, Cambodia’s criminal justice system is focused almost entirely on incarceration for pre-trial detainees.
With the publication of this report, LICADHO aims to increase awareness of the situation of children of prisoners in Cambodia and remind judges and prosecutors of their responsibility to properly comply with existing legal procedures in order to reduce unnecessary, harmful detention.