Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday that his government will seek the pardon and release of female convicts who are pregnant or have children living with them inside prisons, following a report by a human rights group which took authorities to task for neglecting children behind bars.

Hun Sen called for ending the “culture of having children live with their mothers inside jail” during a graduation ceremony on Monday in the capital Phnom Penh. He said he would like to see the incarcerated women be pardoned by International Women’s Day on March 8 or by the Cambodian New Year in April.

“We will pardon those women who have children living inside prisons and those who are pregnant,” he said. “We will try to finish the process before Khmer New Year. We won’t allow any women who have children or are pregnant inside jails anymore.”

Pung Chhiv Kek, founder of the national human rights group Licadho, which issued the report on Feb. 15, applauded the move.

“We don’t want to see any children living inside prisons,” she told RFA’s Khmer Service.” This is a good idea, especially for the prime minister who doesn’t want to see children inside prisons.”

She said pardons would not be granted to women whose trials had not yet been held.


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