The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) yesterday made a donation of $4 million worth of televisions, computers and forensic kits to the Ministries of Social Protection and Public Health, which will go toward the establishment of Child Advocacy Centres to curb child abuse.
These Centres are to be set up in Regions One, Two and Four, the Department of Public Information (DPI) reported.
DPI stated that UNICEF Resident Representative to Guyana, Sylvie Fouet, noted that it is important to accelerate the decentralisation of services offered by Child Advocacy Centres to “once and for all” safeguard the future of Guyana’s children.
“In Region Four, a centre will be set up in Clonbrook and Timehri, in Moruca, Region One and Mabaruma, Region Two. Our focus is to ensure that services are readily available for children outside of Georgetown,” Fouet related.
Meanwhile, Regional Health Officer of Region Four, Dr. Quacy Jones, noted that UNICEF’s support and collaboration with Region Four’s Regional Democratic Council (RDC) has boosted their first line response to child sexual assault cases.
“This is another gesture of UNICEF’s continuous drive to collaborate with the Regional Democratic Council in Region Four to ensure the delivery of service. The Ministry of Social Protection has been an essential partner and we work together to breach the gap of services at the local level,” Dr. Jones said.
DPI noted that the first Child Advocacy Centre was established in Guyana in 2014 and provides services to children who have been either sexually or physically abused. It offers a child-friendly environment and is staffed by counsellors, parent-skills educators, as well as forensic interviewers. The centre was the first of its kind in the Caribbean region.
