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Heng just did as the police told him to

He was then interrogated without any lawyers, family members or anybody he knew. The police slapped him, called him stubborn and asked why he would not say that he had raped a 9-year-old girl from his village. Heng did not understand why he was there. When the police promised him, that he would be allowed to go home to his family, if he confessed, he obeyed. But they lied.

After the interrogation, Heng was brought directly to pre-trial detention and today he sits in jail, convicted to 15 years for a rape he says he did not commit.

Children and adults in the same cell

Heng's story is not unique. 493 children currently sit in prison, in many cases they share cell with adult criminal offenders though Cambodian law specifically states that no person under 13 can be held in prison and children over 13 must be jailed separately.

"There is no distinction between children and adults in prison. They sit in the same cell, they eat the same food and they get exactly the same treatment," says Kek Galabru, the president of local human rights organization, LICADHO.

Campaigning for juvenile justice

This is part of the background of "Children in Prison - no Place to Grow Up" a campaign launched by DanChurchAid, in collaboration with LICADHO and LAC, a legal counseling organization.

The 4-month long campaign aims at shedding light on children's rights in prison and particular in pre-trial detention by publishing reports and providing information and research gathered by the NGOs.

According to the law, children between 13 and 18 years of age are allowed to sit in detention no more than a month, yet the NGOs have seen children sit in detention up to a year. 12-year-old Heng was held in pre-trial detention for three months, before he got his sentence.

"Children should not sit in prison in the first place. But that is not a realistic idea here yet, so what we focus on is to improve the conditions that exist now. Cambodia is known for its horrible prison conditions, where 40 people easily can share a cell with just one toilet and a bucket of water for washing," says Fiona Donson, advocacy coordinator for DanChurchAid. Children sharing a cell with adults are also at risk of being beaten or raped, she says.

Heng, who has now turned 14, has the option of studying in prison, a rare luxury, according to Fiona Donson. He studies literature and Buddhism. But there is one thing, he hasn't learned in school. The boy still has no idea what the word "rape" means.

By Anya Palm, journalist

Anya Palm lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and works at The Cambodia Daily.

The Securing Children’s Rights project is co-funded by the European Union . The project is implemented by LAC , LICADHO and DanChurchAid. The Securing Children’s Rights project operates in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Battambang, Siem Reap, Kandal and Kampot provinces. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union.