Founder Craig Etcheson | Headquarters United States of America Founded 1995 | |
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Services research, outreach, education Type Non-governmental organization, Nonprofit organization Similar Center for Justice and Accountability, A New Day Cambodia, Inter Press Service | ||
The Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) is a Cambodian non-governmental organization whose mission is to research and record the era of Democratic Kampuchea (April 17, 1975 – January 7, 1979) for the purposes of memory and justice.
Contents
History
In 1994, the United States Congress passed the Cambodian Genocide Justice Act which provided grants to Yale University's Cambodian Genocide Program. DC-Cam was the field office of the Yale program until January 1, 1997, when it became an independent non-governmental organization.
Organization
The Center presently contains the world's largest archive on the Khmer Rouge period with over 155,000 pages of documents and 6,000 photographs. DC-Cam undertakes numerous research, outreach, and educational projects which have resulted in the publication of many books on the Khmer Rouge period, a national genocide education initiative, and support services for victims and survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime. DC-Cam is recognized as one of the leading research centers on the Cambodian genocide.
In August 2006, former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli honored the staff and volunteers of DC-Cam at the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh for their work in documenting the crimes of Democratic Kampuchea. In 2007, DC-Cam's Director Youk Chhang was named one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" of 2007 in their "Heroes and Pioneers" section. The text for Mr. Chhang was written by Senator John Kerry.
Future Plan
In 2008 the Cambodian Ministry of Education gave the Center a plot of land totaling approximately 4,800 square feet (450 m2) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. DC-Cam plans to construct a permanent research institution in 2010 and change its name to the Sleuk Rith Institute. The Sleuk Rith Institute will expand upon the original functions of DC-Cam by incorporating a museum, library, theater hall, and course offerings in genocide studies, human rights, and international law.