It is a battle, a national battle that is being fought so that violence against children comes to an end, said the Minister of Women's Rights, Child Development, Family Welfare and Consumer Protection, Mrs. Indira Seebun, yesterday afternoon at the launching of a Capacity Building Programme for District Child Protection Committee Members at Le Saint Georges Hotel in Port Louis.
In her speech, Minister Seebun mentioned that if there is the need to protect children from violence, those children have to be protected in their respective homes, within the community, within the districts and at national level. The Minister laid emphasis on the importance of training, adding that the Programme would provide members not only with the right knowledge but also with the skills that are required, thus leading to the promotion of the rights and prevention of violence against children.
Mrs. Seebun also said that participants benefitting from the Capacity Building Programme should become models in social work and for that to happen, they have to be empowered through proper training whereby facilities will be put at their disposal so that they are able to perform their jobs well.
The Programme, which will be run over a period of 54 hours, has been devised by the Community Devlopment Programme Agency (CODEPA), specialised in community development. Topics that will be covered include: community work; social work with children; the dynamics of child abuse and child protection; and conflict resolution. Participants will also learn about community safety promotion and the dynamics of domestic violence and the effect of domestic violence on child development.
It will be recalled that the District Child Protection Committee has the responsibility to take cognizance, discuss, review and monitor situations leading to abuse and neglect of children within the district. The Committee also works on the formulation of programmes, activities and awareness campaigns to empower the community in the identification and follow-up of child abuse cases. District Child Protection Committee Members comprise representatives of local authorities, Citizens' Advice Bureaus, Forces Vives, religious bodies, parent teachers' associations, police department, non-governmental organisations, school social workers and women associations.
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