Child Protection

What Child Protection does

The Child Protection Unit (CPU) is a Cambodian non-governmental organization established on July 10, 2013, that operates under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with the Cambodia National Police to investigate serious crimes against children and support victims. It is a distinct entity under the umbrella of the Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF) and is led by Director James McCabe.

CPU is organized into four specialized units operating 24/7 across all 25 provinces: the Homicide Investigation Team (HIT) — a nine-person team of investigators, crime scene technicians, family support staff and forensic experts; the Forensic Services Team (FST), which introduced standard forensic tests such as Luminol, human blood reagents and semen testing kits into Cambodia for the first time; the Office of Victim and Family Services (OVFS), providing medical, welfare, legal and psychological support; and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) strike force, established in October 2019 to address online exploitation. The technology stack is procedural and forensic rather than software-based, and is delivered alongside training programs (five specialist courses in 2019 presented by UK and Australian experts) and a safeguarding symposium series in partnership with UK-based Encompass Safeguarding.

CPU generates no service revenue: all services — including forensic investigation, victim aftercare, legal representation, medical evacuation, accommodation, financial assistance and psychological support — are delivered free of charge. Operating funding flows from CCF and donor/sponsor partners such as Ezecom, Royal Group of Companies and international schools, supplemented by pro-bono international trainers. Customer segments are therefore primarily institutional — the Cambodian National Police for operational cooperation, child victims as beneficiaries, and educational institutions as safeguarding-training recipients — rather than commercial buyers.

Name

Child Protection

Legal name

Child Protection Unit

Website

https://childprotectionunit.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Child Protection Unit is a Cambodia-based NGO that, under an MOU with the Ministry of Interior, partners with the Cambodia National Police to investigate serious crimes against children and provide forensic, victim-support, and internet-crime services free of charge across all 25 provinces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Protection Services

NAICS

Investigation and Security Services (5616), Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Safeguarding, Student Welfare & Child Protection Compliance Audits (EDADAGAI), Child Safety & Exploitation Prevention Operations (CSAM detection workflows, escalation) (BPAAALAK), Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding) (BPADAHAF), Safeguarding, Child Protection & Reporting Services (EDAJAIAD)

Keywords

• Child protection services
• Forensic investigation
• Victim support services
• Law enforcement training
• Safeguarding training

Headquarters

HQ city

Ta Khmau

HQ country

Cambodia

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government/NGO Funded Operations: CPU operates under MOU with Cambodian Ministry of Interior as a humanitarian and criminal justice organization. Funded through partnerships with supporting organizations including CCF (Cambodian Children's Fund). No direct revenue generation from services to victims.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Child Protection Unit (CPU) investigates serious crimes against children in Cambodia, conducts forensic analysis of physical evidence, and provides victim and family support services. Operating across all 25 provinces under an MOU with Cambodia's Ministry of Interior, CPU partners with the Cambodian National Police to pursue offenders and delivers safeguarding training to police, teachers, and social workers.

Product overview

The Child Protection Unit (CPU) is a specialized law enforcement support organization operating under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cambodian Ministry of Interior. The organization functions as a unified platform comprising four core operational units: the Homicide Investigation Team (HIT) for investigating child homicides, the Forensic Services Team (FST) for forensic evidence collection and analysis, the Office of Victim and Family Services (OVFS) for comprehensive victim support and legal representation, and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit for online child exploitation investigations. These core units are supported by training and capacity building programs and a child protection symposium. The CPU operates 24/7 across all 25 provinces of Cambodia, providing investigative support, forensics, victim services, and training to the Cambodian National Police.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Homicide Investigation Team (HIT): Dedicated team of investigators, crime scene technicians, family support staff and forensic experts investigating child homicides across Cambodia, operating 24/7.
• Forensic Services Team (FST)
• Office of Victim and Family Services (OVFS)
• Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC)

Products and services

• Homicide Investigation Team (HIT) A specialized team of investigators dedicated to homicide and other serious crimes against children, supporting the Cambodian National Police with on-the-ground case work.
• Forensic Services Team (FST) Cambodia's first NGO-led forensic testing service for crimes against children, using chemical reagents such as Luminol, blood reagents, and semen testing kits to analyze physical evidence collected from crime scenes.
• Office of Victim and Family Services (OVFS) A dedicated unit providing direct support, counseling, and follow-up services to child victims of crime and their families throughout the case lifecycle.
• Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) A specialized unit that investigates online and technology-facilitated crimes against children in Cambodia.
• Training and Capacity Building Program Structured training programs delivered to Cambodian National Police officers, school teachers, and social workers on child safeguarding, forensic procedures, and victim handling.
• Child Protection Symposium An annual convening that brings together child protection stakeholders from government, NGOs, schools, and law enforcement to share best practices and coordinate responses.
• Public Crime Reporting Portal A public-facing channel allowing members of the community to report crimes against children to CPU for triage and follow-up investigation.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Cambodia National Police (CNP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2013CPU operates under MOU with Ministry of Interior in cooperation with CNP since July 10, 2013. MOU extended in 2016 and September 12, 2019 for additional 3 years. CNP provides police authority and access while CPU provides investigative expertise and forensics. Commissioner General Neth Savoeun leads CNP support.
• Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCF is the parent organization of the Child Protection Unit. CPU is officially part of CCF and operates under its umbrella while maintaining independent MOU with government.
• Encompass SafeguardingflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based safeguarding organization that partnered with CCF's CPU for the Safeguarding and Child Protection in Education Symposium. CEO Sian Jorgensen provided expert training on recognizing harm, mandatory reporting, and safer recruitment.
• EzecomminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Safeguarding and Child Protection in Education Symposium held August 11-12, 2023.
• Royal Group of CompaniesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Safeguarding and Child Protection in Education Symposium.
• Cambodian National Council for Children (CNCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPU committed to supporting CNCC and in 2020, ICAC joined CNCC's Online Child Sexual Exploitation Technical Working Group (OCSE TWG) focused on development of five-year action plan 2021-25.
• 7North EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAylssa Cowell from 7North Education provided training on counselling and mental health support for international schools during the symposium.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ChildFund Cambodia: ChildFund Cambodia delivers sponsorship-funded child development programming with strong child protection components including safeguarding frameworks for schools and youth programs. Comparable as a sponsorship-funded child-focused NGO with overlapping safeguarding training reach.
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) - Cambodia Liaison: NCMEC operates the CyberTipline and works internationally to combat online child sexual exploitation, including with Cambodian authorities on OCSEA cases. Comparable as a coordinating body for ICAC-style cyber-crime-against-children units that CPU's ICAC mirrors at a national level.
• World Vision Cambodia: World Vision Cambodia runs sponsorship, education, and child protection programs across Cambodian provinces, often including community-based safeguarding and child participation initiatives. Comparable as a large international NGO operating child safeguarding at national scale in Cambodia.
• Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF): CCF is the parent organization of CPU and operates as a much broader NGO providing education, healthcare, and family services in Cambodia. Directly comparable as the umbrella entity under which CPU's child protection operations sit.
• Save the Children Cambodia: Save the Children Cambodia implements child protection programming including case management, child-friendly justice, and CSAM response. Comparable as a multi-mandate international NGO working on overlapping child safeguarding and justice-for-children mandates in the same country.
• UNICEF Cambodia - Child Protection: UNICEF's Cambodia office runs a child protection program covering justice for children, birth registration, and violence prevention, and convenes coordination bodies such as those CPU participates in. Comparable as a funder/coordinator that CPU must align with and compete for grant visibility against.

Direct peers

• International Justice Mission (IJM) Cambodia: IJM operates in Cambodia conducting criminal justice interventions against trafficking, online sexual exploitation of children, and forced labor, partnering with local law enforcement. Closely comparable as a comparable NGO+CNO collaboration model running casework, forensics, and aftercare services for child exploitation victims.
• Encompass Safeguarding: UK-based child safeguarding organization that co-hosted the 2023 Safeguarding and Child Protection in Education Symposium with CPU. Directly comparable as a peer delivering safeguarding certification, training, and safer-recruitment curricula to education institutions and child-facing organizations internationally.
• Terre des Hommes Cambodia: Terre des Hommes operates in Cambodia on child protection including justice for children, migration-related child protection, and online child sexual exploitation. Comparable as a peer NGO focused specifically on child protection and CSAM response.

Emerging players

• ACTION (ASEAN) - Against Cyber Trafficking and Online Child Exploitation: ACTION is a regional multi-stakeholder partnership building coordinated ASEAN response capacity to online child exploitation, including digital forensics, training, and policy alignment. Comparable as a regional coordination layer that CPU's ICAC engages with through CNCC's OCSE TWG.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cpucambodia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/child-protection-unit-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Child Protection