The Border Officers Project in Cambodia tracks children crossing the border and pursues action in cases that lead to suspicion of trafficking.
This approach is augmented by a programmatic emphasis on the situation of women and children that leads to migration. The project also pursues tips and direct complaints from trafficking victims in order to direct such cases to appropriate and competent legal intervention while ensuring proper social service support upon intervention. This focus on urgent rescue runs in parallel to a more long term education project that emphasizes safe border crossing, HIV/AIDS awareness, and the reality of trafficking. The 140 identified target groups of this education include: scavengers, beggars, umbrella children, substance abusing children, cart pullers, workers, and scavenging buyers. By raising awareness of the nature and vulnerabilities of trafficking in these populations the hope is that more victims can be identified, more self policing can occur and less tolerance for exploitation will be allowed. Short term and attainable goals to increase the efficacy of the Cambodian Border Officers Project include strengthening the communication and information flow between members, the use of uniforms to garner respect and authority, and to combat issues of access to markets where children are working on the border with Thailand.
