-UNICEF tells welfare officers
UNICEF representative Dr Suleiman Bramioh told a workshop for social workers that the task of a childcare officer is incomplete and his/her function ineffective if children are not offered protection from childbirth until adulthood.
The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security organised the two-day workshop to facilitate training on the establishment of Children Care Points in various communities countrywide, a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
In his address, Dr Braimoh said a childcare worker fails his/her job when children die at birth, survive birth but die at age five, fail to enter the school system, fail to complete high school or finish school but lack the required skills to function in life. “Orphans and vulnerable children are only part of the challenge. There are many children who are not orphans, who cannot be classified as vulnerable but may still have developmental issues,” he said.
Bramioh pointed out that child protection involves many facets including healthcare, education and basic survival needs which can be achieved through integrated approaches that cut across all service sectors. “Childcare demands a dedicated corps of professionals who are able not just to deliver care services but are empowered to coordinate the expansion of an already solid foundation,” he added. Bramioh also said UNICEF will continue to support government’s efforts in making Guyana a safe haven from childcare challenges.
Additionally, UNICEF Director of Child Protection Doris Roos said the UN is interested in having children in far-flung areas benefit from every service available to those in urban communities. “We are concerned that children must get into and stay in schools, that they must be immunised. There must be a safe point in every community where children can come and speak up and are not only listened to but are believed,” she added.
Roos lamented that young boys in today’s society have few role models and caregivers lack the requisite information to refer and deal with abused children. She then challenged the officers to abandon their desks and head out into the communities to seek clients who may be prevented from accessing help. She implored them to maintain a reputation that is respected and to provide adequate care for their own children.
GINA said Assistant Chief Probation and Social Services Officer Marva Williams told the workshop that the ministry is putting systems in place “to reach those who appear unreachable.” She also applauded the men and women who have dedicated their lives to the protection of women and children for assisting the ministry in fulfilling its mandate.
