A committee dedicated to child protection

The Child Protection Commission of the East Asia province convened a steering committee on Sept. 22 and 23 in Tulan, the Philippines, to improve child protection in schools and in the community at large by implementing a project from Irish-based charity Misean Cara.

The aim was to analyse how far the objectives of the seminar-workshops conducted on ‘Keeping Children Safe: Building the Capacity of Teachers and Student Leaders in Child Rights and Child Protection’ had been accomplished.

The workshops, part of the Misean Cara project, trained 60 personnel and 60 student leaders on child rights and protection, and prepared them for their role in setting up a child protection desk in their local schools.

Fifteen schools of the country took part including six Marist Schools and nine Notre Dame schools of the Marbel diocese.

The participants of the steering committee include Ma Fe Lucia L. Palma, Agnes S. Reyes, Jubert Mendoza, as well as Brothers Ted Fernandez, Crispin Betita and Albert Bolibol.

The Committee is now organising a workshop in November for the Barangay Child Protection Council (BCPC), an organisation in the community with which schools will closely collaborate.

“May these capacity-building initiatives we will do for the schools and community bring about a responsive and functional BCPC and more involved schools in support of the initiatives of the local community,” affirmed Br Crispin. “All for the best interest of the children we care for.”

Meanwhile, 30 student leaders and 15 school guidance counsellors meet separately for a seminar on ‘Peer-Care: Detecting Manifestations of Abuses Among Children and What To Do About It.’