When
it comes to the safety of children, one can never play it too safe especially
when the kids are out of their home environment.
Taking the shopping mall as an example, play
therapist Chris Ng poses the question: "What if your child were to get
lost (in the mall)? Is there a designated shop or office which is a safe place
with someone in charge to help?"
The question is even more pertinent as parents
these days are increasingly relying on non-family institutions such as
childcare centres to look after their kids while they are at work.
Before entrusting their children into the care
of these places, parents need to ask questions such as what their rules are on
safety, and if the staff have the necessary training and knowledge of
children's rights, Ng advises.
This is when he brings up the importance on
the part of all concerned with the safety of children, including the management
of shopping malls, which are very family-based venues, and childcare centres,
to adopt a child protection policy (CPP).
As long as children are part of one's
organisation, one should adopt the policy which, although not mandated by the
Government, is needed to hold the parties responsible for the child's safety
accountable, he says.
Having a CPP in place, he stresses, ensures
there is a "checklist" that the organisation can refer to when
required.
While there is no "hard and fast"
rule on the contents of a CPP, there is a template that organisations can
follow.
This is the National CPP provided by the
Women, Family and Community Development Ministry and includes a mission and
vision statement, a statement of commitment and behavioural protocols.
It also contains points on recruitment and
screening of staff, procedures to follow when handling abuse allegations,
communication with and about children as well as training, evaluation and
monitoring.
The CPP outlines child protection principles
that are consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and
the Child Act 2001. It focuses on advocacy, prevention, support services and
research and development aspects for the protection of children.
Ng, who is embarking on a training programme
on the CPP, says it is more than just about ensuring that the infrastructure is
safe for children.
"The makcik down the road who is a
babysitter, even she needs to be aware of protection issues," he says,
adding that parents need to be advocates of the CPP to make sure their child is
safe.
Conversely, he says, a CPP could help those
working in an organisation to know what to do if they suspect that a child is
being abused.
In the case of shelters, something seemingly
innocent like allowing children to be photographed or meeting donors can be
highlighted as a cause for concern, Ng says.
Currently, training for staff of institutions
such as shelters is being done by various organisations including Childline
Malaysia in conjunction with the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef)
Malaysia and the Selangor Welfare Council.
Unicef Malaysia senior child protection
specialist Phenny Kakama says a CPP is critical for a strong, cohesive and safe
society.
"It helps to articulate the preventive
and responsive measures that need to be in place to protect children from
violence and harm," he says. "A sound policy will also establish the
procedures and mechanisms needed to deal with affected children."
Unicef, says Kakama, collaborates with the
Government, civil society organisations, corporate partners and other
stakeholders to disseminate the CPP.
"Unicef advocates initiatives to
strengthen existing national policies and legislation on child protection and
juvenile justice," he says.
In addition, Unicef also supports initiatives
for strengthening social welfare or child protection systems such as
development of social work competency standards and training of social workers,
and provides training for child rights NGOs.
Ng himself is undergoing a training programme
conducted by the Welfare Department.
The training educates both management and
carers on the need for a CPP in their places as well as understanding
children's rights.
Rumah Ozanam in Selangor is among the shelters
that are now drawing up their own CPP.
According to Datin Elsie Das, board member and
chairman of education at Rumah Ozanam, the CPP is very useful because it
defines the protocols and standards that are in the best interest of the child.
Elsie, a play therapist, adds that a CPP would
help to prevent incidents such as punishing children by making them stand under
the sun.
Funding has been provided to 10 homes (in
Selangor) to formulate their individual CPP, reveals Elsie, who also heads the
shelter homes portfolio of the Selangor Welfare Council.
The homes have been given three months to draw
up a draft of the CPP, which should be ready for endorsement and implementation
after six months.
For Rumah Ozanam, the CPP will iron out
protocols for staff and volunteer training, among others.
In line with their corporate social
responsibility efforts, corporations such as Sime Darby Bhd have already
adopted initiatives to ensure an environment that is safe for children in their
operations.
Sime Darby launched their initiative in March
2010 together with their "Developing a Child Protection Policy"
booklet.
Audrey Edwards
The Star/Asia News Network
Business & Investment Opportunities
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