By Philip Tengzu
Issa (UW/R), Sept. 29, GNA – The African Centre for Human Rights and Sustainable Development (AfCHuRSD), in partnership with the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa (DBI) District Assembly, has organised a validation workshop on proposed community child protection guidelines.
The proposed guidelines were co-developed by the DBI District Department of Social Welfare and Community Development (DSWCD) and communities to safeguard children from abuse and other forms of harm.
The workshop, held at Issa, brought together members of Community Child Protection Committees (CCPCs) and other stakeholders from 10 communities in the district to deliberate on and validate the proposed guidelines.
The validated document would subsequently be submitted to the DBI District Assembly for consideration and adoption, after which it would be gazetted for use in the communities.
Speaking at the event, Madam Bernice Naah, Executive Director of AfCHuRSD, said the organisation had been working with the DSWCD and other stakeholders in the district to address child protection concerns.
She said the initiative was in line with the Gender and Women Economic Empowerment and Participation in Leadership (GWEEL) Project being implemented by AfCHuRSD in the DBI, Wa West, Nadowli-Kaleo and Jirapa districts.
The project, funded by the Equal Opportunity Fund Netherlands through the EODF in Action, seeks, among other things, to promote the rights and empowerment of women and girls.
Madam Naah explained that the communities had identified the need for clear community-level guidelines to help prevent children from engaging in activities that could jeopardise their future.
She said the guidelines would provide communities with a framework to work with parents, traditional leaders and relevant institutions to protect children and keep them in school.
“We are just trying to support them to have guidelines so that together, we can support the young ones in the communities so they don’t drop out of school as we are seeing happening today,” Madam Naah said.
Mr James Wor, DBI District Chief Executive (DCE), said the upbringing of children required collective responsibility from parents, communities and institutions to protect them from all forms of harm.
He said peer pressure, parental negligence and negative parental behaviours, among others, could undermine the proper development of children.
Mr Wor cited alcoholism, spousal quarrelling and drug abuse as behaviours that could negatively influence children when exhibited by parents and other adults in their presence.
The participants were also sensitised on child protection, the rights of children and the responsibilities of stakeholders in preventing child abuse.
Mr Ali Jimba Umar, a Social Welfare Officer at the DBI District Assembly, who made a presentation on child protection, stressed that the best interests of the child must be a primary consideration in all matters concerning children.
He urged stakeholders to listen to children in ways appropriate to their age, maturity and safety.
Mr Umar said the CCPCs had key responsibilities, including community sensitisation, prevention, identification of concerns, safe listening, prompt referral and supporting access to services, among others, to protect children from harm.
Child abuse, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, child labour and child trafficking are major challenges in the district that require concerted efforts to address.
The proposed guidelines cover issues including rape and defilement, children found loitering at night, school dropout, non-discrimination, parental responsibilities, and torture and degrading treatment.
GNA
Reporter: Philip Tengzu, GNA
Reporter’s email: [email protected]