The
workshop which was participated by ten health workers from Catholic Health
Centres was organized by the Diocese with sponsorship from Aid to the Church
in Need (ACN) This was disclosed by the Acting Regional Manager of Catholic
Educational Unit, Rev. Sister Bernadine Permi, in an interview with
GBCURARADIO.COM in Bolgatanga, on the side-lines of the efforts being made by
the Catholic Church to promote safeguarding and child protection within our
schools and communities.
She
said the aim of the workshop was to train each teacher per school as a safeguarding representative in that
particular school which will a point of contact for a child or vulnerable
adult.
She
added that, in case of anything within the school, a report must first be
reported to the representative in the school before it gets to the child
protection team and finally to the child unit of the Ghana Education Service (GES).
Rev
Permi indicated that the participants were taken through the concrete steps of
safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, shared real stories they
encountered in their various schools and communities.
Some of the participants also expressed their joy at the things they learnt from the
workshop and lauded the Diocese for organizing such an insightful programme for
them.
The
General Manager of the Catholic Educational Unit, Araba Bentum, who was present
at the workshop expressed joy that it was full of insight and charged teachers to
take care of children entrusted to them in their various schools both Catholic
and non-Catholic schools and as well spread what they have learnt to all
stakeholders so as to create the awareness that, “children are to be seen and
not heard is a thing of the past”. She added
that corporal punishment should also be avoided in training our children both
in schools and at home.
The
General Manager advised parents to try and provide for the needs of their children
and the vulnerable so that they will not fall into temptation, for the child
protection and safeguarding the Vulnerable Adults starts from the home.
Mrs
Bentum recommended that the training workshop be replicated in all the dioceses
across the country, she concluded.
