Having recognised the need for community involvement in ensuring the welfare of Guyanese children, the Social Protection Ministry, through the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA), has launched its annual Child Protection Week with this year’s events targeting awareness, particularly within communities.
A public awareness session being hosted in observation of Child Protection Week 2017
The Week, which kicked off on September 25, will see the staging of a number of public sessions with the aim of zooming in on awareness at the grassroots level.
While speaking with Guyana Times on Tuesday, CCPA Director Ann Greene expressed delight in the execution of yet another Child Protection Week. In doing so, Greene outlined what could be expected during the Week.
“Generally, the activities are to heighten the awareness level of child abuse. We want the public to be more involved, understand and change their behaviour and attitude towards child abuse,” relayed the Director.
In order to achieve this mission, she indicated, “We want to give you information, to bring you aware of the plight of children who suffer abuse.”
The CCPA Director went on to underline the theme of Child Protection Week 2017 “Partnering with families and communities for positive outcomes for children”, noting that it was formulated based on recent reports of threats against children in Guyana.
“…the reason why we came up with that theme is because of recognising that enough is not being done at the community level and the events of the last couple of days with that young man (Berbice teen raped and murdered) says it, that we are right on target. So, it is a fitting theme for Child Protection Week this year.”
The Director underscored that the Agency was reliant on a productive partnership with families and, by extension, the community, thereby emphasising the need for education to ensure the necessary interventions.
“Communities need to be much more conscious and aware that they have a responsibility for the safety of the children. We need much more assistance for the families and communities. Child protection starts with the family. For us, the community is our eyes and ears. We know of a child being abused when somebody tell is because we are not there in every community,” the CCPA Director conveyed.
With that, she stressed that activities would commence at the community level. Thus far, several awareness sessions have been conducted in and around Georgetown. These include public awareness booths being set up at various hotspots, outreaches conducted at medical centres and sessions being hosted in schools.
The staging of the Child Protection Week aligns with the overall mandate of the Agency which is to prevent, reduce and alleviate the effects of abuse and neglect of children by the provision of effective services, reflecting their rights, particularly among communities and within their family circle.
