Mums among 32 who learn to deal with children’s cases

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Tuesday February 11th, 2014

 THIRTY-two people, including village court chairmen and clerks, have completed a weeklong workshop on the Lukautim Pikinini Act at Mt Hagen.

Two mums were among the participants from the Hagen electorate in Western Highlands.

The workshop was to help guide them how to deal with children’s cases.

It was to inform them what powers they had to implement the law about children.

Among the topics discussed were HIV/AIDS training, alcohol-root cause of law and order problem, drug abuse, awareness on the Lukautim PikininiAct and the points that affected children.

The workshop was funded by the United Nation Incentive Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

UNICEF child protection coordinator PNG Josephine Hill, Western Highlandsprovincial village court officer Johnny Pena and Edith Namba from the Western Highlands provincial health authority (WHPHA) well women clinic also took part in the workshop.

Namba said that about 80% of abuse and sexual violence involvedchildren.

Namba said serious cases were left to the higher court to deal with.

“We are training them on the importance of dealing with cases that involves children like abuse and sexual violence.”

“These are some of the very serious cases where proper training is needed to deal with them,” Namba said.

She said child abuse and sexual violence required close focus.

“We must all work together and fight against this.”