A European Union funded Child Advocacy Centre at Fort Wellington, Berbice was officially declared open yesterday in a move to avoid children traumatized by abuse having to recount their experiences repeatedly at different agencies.
According to a press release from the Delegation of the European Union to Guyana, its head Ambassador Jernej Videtič, together with Minister of Social Protection Volda Lawrence and representatives of ChildLink and the Child Protection Agency, officially opened centre.
The Child Advocacy Centre is part of the Empowering Children in Difficult Circumstances (ECDC) Project, which is being implemented by ChildLink, the release said.
The centre will house a multi-disciplinary team including law enforcement, child protection services, the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecution, mental health and medical professionals. Under this system, children who have suffered abuse will be interviewed regarding their abuse just once, avoiding having to recount their experience again and again to a number of different agencies, the release noted.
The EU is funding the €200,000 ECDC Project, under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). Signed in 2014, the 24-month project has also established the National Child Rights Coalition (NCRC), supports the Tell Campaign across the country, and will provide training to child rights workers, counsellors, and child protection officers, the release added.
In addition, the project will establish 5 regional groups across the country to facilitate the monitoring of and improved response to child abuse complaints.
The EIDHR is a financing instrument that provides assistance for the promotion of democracy and human rights worldwide and specifically aims at assisting civil society to become an effective force for political reform and defence of human rights.
