Discover “Childhood without Color” – A Powerful New Exhibition at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum: Honoring the Rights of Children and Remembering the Stories of Survival

On 20 November 2024, the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum opened its temporary exhibition titled "Childhood without Color," to mark World Children's Day. This date commemorates two significant events in history: the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 by the United Nations General Assembly.

Mr. Sardar Umar Alam, UNESCO Representative to Cambodia, attended the inauguration of the exhibition, organized by the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. The exhibition serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of children's rights by telling the story of children who survived the Khmer Rouge regime.

The opening event began with welcome remarks from the Museum Director Mr. Hang Nisay, and a speech from the Secretary of State H.E. Prak Sonnara, representing the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. A ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opened the exhibition, and the visitors joined a guided tour led by the Director to explore the exhibition that sheds light into the experiences of children captured by S-21.

The exhibition shows the Museum's continued efforts in the research of its collections and the diversification of its educational outreach and museum promotion strategies.

With the on-going PEACE project supported by KOICA, we look forward to the continued collaboration with TSGM and the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts to preserve, promote and disseminate Cambodia's documentary heritage for universal access among the public and youth.