The Social Affairs Ministry yesterday encouraged NGOs to use a WhatsApp group to facilitate the reporting of child abuse.
Using the messaging app would help speed up and simplify the reporting process, Chhay Vanna, undersecretary of state at the ministry, said at a meeting of a task force made up of government, NGO and orphanage representatives. “If there is any child abuse, [you] can send information through WhatsApp to inform the ministry,” Mr. Vanna said. “We will inform the welfare department.”
The ministry began promoting its WhatsApp group earlier this year, but it has so far failed to gain traction, according to Khlang Pichet, deputy director of the ministry’s child welfare department.
He said yesterday’s meeting was an attempt to encourage further adoption from the organizations. Him Sovann, director of the orphan NGO Fondation Elephant Blanc who attended the meeting yesterday, said the WhatsApp group had helped his organization communicate with the ministry. A technical officer at the ministry’s social department, Heat Ary, said 52 NGOs were currently in the WhatsApp group.
