
FIRST STEP CAMBODIA
Our Vision
Every Child is free from abuse
Our Mission
First Step Cambodia is a non-governmental organization working in partnership toward strong child protection mechanisms, empowering children to be free from sexual abuse and living in safe and nurturing families. FSC advocates for and engages with boys to address social norms and gender issues affecting boys. Our purpose is that every child is supported and able to reach their full potential.
We work to empower children and parents to become agents of child protection in schools and communities, developing the capacity of social service workforce working with children, providing therapeutic and direct support to children affected by sexual abuse, children who display harmful sexual behaviors, conducting research, and advocating for societal change.
At present, First Step Cambodia is nationally and internationally recognized as a leader in the provision of therapeutic services to both boys and girls. It remains the only organization in Cambodia that specialized in providing therapeutic and psycho-social support to boys with lived experience of sexual abuse and to children displaying problematic and harmful sexual behaviors, as well as their parents, caregivers, supporters, and communities.
Until the development of First Step’s specialized services, nothing of its kind existed in Cambodia. Through our advocacy efforts, capacity building of social service workforce working with children in Cambodia, and our close collaboration with partners and government, we are beginning to change beliefs that are considered taboo, every day improving the responses given to boys when they need or seek support.
''We strive towards a Cambodia in which all children are free from abuse, live and grow up in a safe and nurturing environment.''
Our Core Programs
FSC applies the Socio-Ecological Model, a model that considers the complex interplay between individual, relationship, community, and societal factors.
The model also highlights the importance to act across multiple levels of the model at the same time. This approach is more likely to sustain prevention efforts over time than any single intervention. Our programs are aligned with this approach and are designed to tackle the issues of child sexual abuse on all levels in society simultaneously. In 2019, FSC was selected as a promising practice by the Family Care First network.
The model allows us to understand the range of factors that put children at risk for violence or protect them from experiencing or perpetrating violence. The overlapping rings in the model illustrate how factors at one level influence factors at another level.

We empower children, youth and parents to become child protection agents through series of awareness raising sessions and their participation in different levels of government meetings. We increase the understanding of child sexual abuse, especially boys, among Cambodians at all levels of society. We strengthen reporting mechanisms and appropriate response in our NGO and national networks.
We provide social work services that
are appropriate and sensitive to
children who are at risk of or affected
by sexual abuse, and children
displaying harmful sexual behaviors. We build on the child’s strengths and apply the Social-Ecological Model, engaging with the children’s parents/caregivers, supporters and community, making them an integral part of the process.
We provide specialist training, consultation and coaching opportunities to improve the capacity of social service workforce and agencies to ensure they deliver quality services to children and families affected by sexual abuse, harmful sexual behaviors and psycho social issues. We lead and contribute to research related to child sexual abuse and sexually harmful behavior.