K2 million project to aid children on NCD streets

By PETER ESILA
A PROJECT focusing on child labour and to find out why some children are on the streets of Port Moresby will begin next month.
The K2 million project will be implemented by the Office for Child and Family Services which comes under the Department of Religion, Youth and Community Development.
It will be in partnership with the National Capital District Commission.
The office looks after the welfare of children and families under the Lukautim Pikinini Act and the Child Protection Policy.
Acting chief executive Simon Yanis said a survey on these children had already been conducted.
Yanis said the project would find out the children’s backgrounds and why they were on the street.
“For the last five or six years, there have been many complaints (and) issues raised concerning the children on the streets in Port Moresby,” he said.
Yanis said these children could be seen near traffic lights selling items or in other areas of the city.
“We are going to process them,” he said.
“We are going to reintegrate them into their family networks – to their guardians and parents.
“We will try to provide training and conduct awareness on the Lukautim Pikinini Act to guardians and the community they are going to be integrated into – community leaders, village court magistrates and church leaders.
“Children doing selling come under child labour.
“There are a lot of things we need to find out about why the children are on the streets.”
Yanis said there was a provision under the law that called for parental responsibility.
“If we see that it is violated, parents will be prosecuted,” he said.