Database for child issues a must: Solomon

The National Main Stories

CREATING a national database for child protection issues was among a list of priorities the  Community Development and Religion Department was working on to improve, Secretary Anna Solomon says.
She said one of the biggest gaps was the lack of a data base for child protection issues.
Acknowledging the support from Unicef, Solomon said they would help to identify resources for database to be created.
“These are all the different approaches to capturing the information we want because we need this information to get leaders and people to know what is really happening in the country when it comes to child-safety issues.
“This is one partner that listens to what our gaps are, apart from training of provincial and district child-protection officers so they are aware of the amendments to the law.
“We also train law enforcement agencies and health and education as well.
“One of the biggest gaps is not having that national database for child-protection issues in the country.
“Having to request through partners can be difficult for them to understand how they can come in to support us in those gaps.
“Right now, we only have database for Port Moresby, we don’t have them for all the other provinces.
“So, they are going to help us create a national database so provinces and their issues can be captured here.”
Unicef country representative Olushola Ismail said the Government put children as part of its agenda-setting so Unicef came in to support the Government to make sure that programmes were implemented.
“Unicef comes in to support the effort of the Government to translate the law for the common man to understand,” Ismail said.
“We are going to make sure that we translate into the common language everybody can understand.
“Unicef comes in to rekindle the family value, it’s not about the law but it’s about who we are, to create awareness, bring a lot of state orders on the table around this law and have part of the team to monitor the implementation of the law.”
About 30 child protection officers from around the country are attending a five-day child protection officers’ training, which started yesterday at the community development regional office.