On Tuesday, 11th of February of 2020, APLE Cambodia, in collaboration with the National Committee for Counter Trafficking and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, was proud to hold the event “Together for a Better Internet” in order to promote the safe use of digital technology, especially among children and young people.

The event was held at the National Education Institute in Phnom Penh, with the support of ECPAT Sweden and was part of a Global Campaign promoted by the INHOPE Network (a global network of member hotlines, leading the fight against Child Sexual Abuse Materials online) and supported by the European Commission.

Mr. Seila Samleang, APLE’s Executive Director, welcomed close to 600 attendants from public and private schools in Phnom Penh, government officials, youth and various NGO staff members and gave a brief explanation of the background of the event: “The Safer Internet Day initially was celebrated by only 14 countries within the European Union and Australia in 2004. In 2019, over 150 countries joined the global campaign”. Mr. Samleang thanked the attendants and the government officials for their demonstrated commitment and called for joint forces to protect children online.

Her Excellency Chou Bun Eng, State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and Permanent Vice Chairperson of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking, talked to attendants about online safety and encouraged safe use of the Internet.

Mr. Sithorn Chumno and Ms. Som Vichyini, child representatives, spoke about the importance of being good citizens and using the internet in its good applications, such as information sharing and learning, yet being responsible and cautious of harmful individuals that hide themselves behind screens.

Attendants played games, took pictures, painted their faces and enjoyed an entire morning while learning about how to keep themselves safe online, uploading pictures to their social media using the hashtag #SID2020.