| Accession Number | P03258.089 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Transparency |
| Maker |
Smith, Heide |
| Place made | Cambodia |
| Date made | 1993 |
| Conflict |
Period 1990-1999 Cambodia (UNTAC), 1992-1993 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
|
A young homeless boy from the streets of Battambang strains to view a helicopter as he is given a ...
Description
A young homeless boy from the streets of Battambang strains to view a helicopter as he is given a tour of the Battambang airfield and some of the many United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) helicopters using the base. In the spirit of UNTAC's humanitarian brief, Australian soldiers of the Force Communications Unit (FCU) based at Battambang set up a school for the street children of Battambang with money raised through their own fund raising projects. Later, these soldiers discovered that many of these children were being taken against their will to Thailand for prostitution. When UNTAC arrived in late 1992, there were at least 200,000 orphans, a rate of infant mortality averaging nine deaths for every 100 pregnancies, a disabled rate of one out of every 238 children (mainly amputees due to landmines), and an average life expectancy of less than 50 years. Many children who have experienced the trauma of Cambodia's recent history have displayed symptoms of extreme dysfunction.