ChildFund-
The Gambia local partner, Ding Ding Yiriwa Federation, Monday commenced a
five-day child protection training for its staff, including community child
protection organisations at the Federation’s office in Jambanjelly, Kombo
South.
The
Federation’s management says the training is aimed at improving strategies for
child protection mechanisms to create community awareness and responsibility
towards the welfare and protection of children, in order to realize their own
wellbeing.
Buba
Dampha, sponsorship and program coordinator of the Federation said the training
is organized to sensitize established community organisations and child social
workers of their responsibilities in protecting and responding to potential
abuses on children, in order to realize their wellbeing towards national
development.
He
said child protection in every community should be a duty on every individual,
adding that the attitude of neglecting potential child abuses in communities
could deter meaningful efforts in preventing child protection activities.
“We
take it as a duty to protect and promote the wellbeing of our children. As a
Federation working for children, it is part of our mandate to promote and
protect the future and that should be everyone’s responsibility,” he said
Federation
manager, Alieu Mendy said child protection programs should be everyday
implementation activity, saying various abuses that are usually inflicted on
children occur almost every day in communities where children of those
potential abuses live.
Mr
Mendy said the culture of not reporting child abuse cases to available child
protection centers and structures in communities have greatly led to the
continuous challenges face in ending child abuse and exploitation.
“We
have to stop the culture of not reporting cases of child abuse to responsible
organisations in communities who can deal with such cases and to protect the
image of a child whenever reporting such cases,” he said.
He
reminded participants to take the training seriously in order to gain requisite
knowledge in their duty in the protection of children towards the full
attainment of their potentials.
