K353,000 to build juvenile facilities

By PISAI GUMAR
THE Department of Justice and Attorney-General has assisted the Erap Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre in Morobe with funding.
The centre, located at Erap, 50km out of Lae along the highway, received from the department’s secretary Dr Lawrence Kalinoe K353,351.15.
The money will allow the Sacred Heart Brothers of the Catholic church to build facilities for juveniles to get technical skills which will go together with their primary school classes.
Classroom and electrical equipment cost K126,160, welding equipment cost K27,306.85, tractor, slasher, trailer, plough and harrow cost K107,792.30 and teacher kit house costs K92,000.
Kalinoe was accompanied by deputy secretary legal Jack Kariko, deputy secretary corporate Benny Metio and Law and Justice Sector director Joe Kanekane.
The assistance was given under the DJAG’s community-based corrections programme whose five functions are probation, parole, juvenile justice, criminal compensation and community work order.
“To achieve a just, safe and secure society to restore peace and harmony in the communities it is appropriate to enhance institutions and organisations at the community level to make impacts,” said Kalinoe.
“Juveniles should be taught not only how to read, write and comprehend but also to be enriched with skills in agriculture, carpentry, joinery, welding and others for an equal opportunity to lead a productive life after serving probationary period.”
Kalinoe thanked the Catholic brothers for being  committed to mana­ging the institution.
The Erap Boys Town chaplain Fr Sido Van Derwerf, staff and Catholic education secretary for Lae Diocese Louis Worealevi were grateful for “the humility and the initiative taken by” the DJAG.
Fr Van Derwerf said: “We talk, discuss and invest on  juveniles at Erap to enrich them become better productive citizens in the country. But what about those juveniles that live back at home and cause problems to their parents, families and the community?”