The National Office for Child & Family Services and the Catholic Bishops Conference have signed a Memorandum of Agreement to strengthen Child Protection Systems in the country.
The signatories to the partnership included, Director & Chief Executive Officer of NOCFS, Simon Yanis, Rev. Fr Giorgio Licini PIME, General Secretary CBCPNG&SI; and Most Rev. Rozario Menezes SMM, Bishop of Lae and Bishop Deputy for Right Relationships in Ministry.
The official signing was held in Port Moresby recently.
Present to show support for the Church-State Partnership were Priests, Religious, Government and Church officials. It was the highlight of a training for 39 Diocesan Child Protection Officers (CPO) that runs from April 4th - 9th, conducted by Sr Ancy John SCSA, Directress of Right Relationships in Ministry, and facilitators from NOCFS.
Mr Yanis commended the efforts of the Catholic Church in promoting health, education and social wellbeing. He said with the Church’s extensive networking, much could be achieved under this new alliance.
“Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility and this agreement is to ensure that Church-State officials work together and are given that mandate by law to protect children and hold those infringing Children’s rights accountable,” he said.
Mr Yanis said as supported by laws under the Lukautim Pikinini Act 2015 and this Partnership, there is a delegation of power that CPOs have the right to exercise and intervene, should a child-abuse claim arise.
“Mothers have a voice, and so do youths, but children who are the silent majority do not, and it is our duty to speak and give a voice to their pleas,” he added.
Rev. Rozario described how the Church and State worked in parallel to alleviate social issues causing suffering in the lives of children, and said the agreement was a ‘Big-Step’ toward improving the efforts of Diocesan CPOs.
“In Lae we are training CPOs and the government is also doing the same and this MOA is the convergence point where we meet. That will allow for better efficiency, capabilities and collaboration between our CPOs,” he stated.
Fr Giorgio said the partnership was made possible through prior joint-initiatives and existing relations between Church and State to improve Child-Safety in the country.
He said, “It starts on good grounds because there is already work in progress by Church-State CPOs, and it ensures that the welfare of children in our families, communities and everywhere is protected.”
Caritas Australia Program Director, Daniel James Skehan, said the agreement was encouraging and reassured the full support of Caritas Australia in local initiatives designed to safeguard the wellbeing of children.
“It will surely encourage future collaborations between different organisations, and these will all be done to ensure a safe environment for all our children to grow up in, and to eventually become responsible adults ready to make a significant contribution in society,” he said.
To show the commitment of NOCFS in the partnership with CBCPNGSI, Mr Yanis presented a cheque of K43,500 to Fr Giorgio.
Certificates of Attainment were distributed to 40 participants of the training that instilled in them a sense of pride, accomplishment and a reminder of their significant contribution towards protecting children.
Catholic Family Life Apostolate Coordinator from the Archdiocese of Port Moresby, Lucy Lavu, described the agreement as a milestone for the Church and thanked the Church and Government for recognizing ‘Child Protection’ as an issue of urgency in the country.
