WUNRN
WOMEN'S WORLD SUMMIT FOUNDATION -
WWSF
PRIZES FOR PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE
2007
Women's World Summit
Foundation (WWSF) awards four organizations for innovative prevention
activities
On the occasion of World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse – 19 November
First Prize 2007 (US$ 3000)
Society for Empowering Human Resources - SEHER, Pakistan
2006
marked the first year that the World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse was
observed in SEHER’s province (Balochistan). SEHER celebrated the World Day over
the course of 20 Days of Activism for prevention of child abuse leading
up to 19 November 2006. During the 20 days, the organization convened many
different activities and worked with and alongside many different groups.
- SEHER disseminated information on children’s rights
with a special focus on child abuse and developed a questionnaire with 72
core questions to help children to understand and internalize the rights
of the child.
- SEHER decided to involve all civil society
organizations working for the cause of children, and also partnered with
the Balochistan Boy Scouts Association, the Balochistan Educational and
Environmental Journey, the Water Environment and Sanitation Society, the
National Commission for Peace and Justice, local Catholic churches,
Madrassahs, and the Concern Worldwide Balochistan Programme.
- SEHER involved children in the different activities
(children in Child Protection Centers, prisons, Drop in Centers, as well
as working children, students studying in seminaries, government schools,
private schools, and children from minority communities) for the purpose
of internalizing the tools, elements and mechanisms for prevention of
child abuse and introducing them to comprehensive protective measures. The
organization makes it a priority to work with a variety of vulnerable and
disadvantaged children including juvenile delinquents and commercial sex
workers.
- During the 20 days campaign, SEHER worked directly with
juvenile prisoners, children working in garages, children in child
protection centers for commercial sexual exploitation, scavenger children,
AMAL, child laborers, boy scouts, and other groups by sharing information
about the rights of the child and the World Day for displaying posters and
banners with the 10 key messages against child abuse, wearing stickers
“Yes to prevention of child abuse!”, sharing speeches and personal
experiences, poems, skits and songs as well as various competitions on
child abuse and the rights of the child.
- SEHER organized awareness raising sessions with
stakeholders such as the Bar Councils, Teachers Associations, the Clerks
Association, the Journalists Union, Merchants Association, etc.
- A petition was filed in Balochistan High Court against
the Government Balochistan and State departments for their inefficiency
and indifference regarding wide range of human rights violations including
the violation of children’s rights.
SEHER had amazing results and response to all of
the activities and events hosted. The 20 Days of Activism was covered by
several media outlets and appeared on television, radio, and in print. Overall
the group reached 2.5 million people through the print media and 63.5 million
through electronic media outlets. SEHER reached not only people living in
Pakistan, but also people in India and Afghanistan via the radio.
On 19 November, last event of the 20 Days, different activities were
organized to draw attention on child abuse:
- A rally. More than 1200 children together with many
organizations participated. They carried banners and posters with
messages, chanted slogans, and wore the yellow sticker “YES to prevention
of child abuse!”. A welcome committee including Members of parliament,
political and judicial authorities as well as representatives of
associations received the rally.
- A seminar with speeches, skits, and songs by children. Members
of the welcome committee were invited to speak on prevention of child
abuse.
- A poster gallery with the prize winning posters from different
child centers and jails.
- A banner to be signed “YES to prevention of child abuse!”
For the year 2007, SEHER plans 9 months of Activism on prevention of child abuse.
A video of the 2006 campaign is available at WWSF headquarters.
Second Prize 2007 (US$ 1000)
Association Mondiale pour les Orphelins et les Enfants
Abandonnés - WAO Afrique, Togo
Many activities were organized in Togo from 27 October to 30 November, under the patronage of the Ministry delegate close to the Minister of Social Affairs, the promotion of women, in charge of child and the elderly protection, and in collaboration with many other NGOs such as DCI, Save the Children and PLAN Togo. Preliminary activities, including preparatory meetings with partners, meetings with the media, work together with a group of 150 children for the writing of a « Message from the children », led to the organization of the following activities in Lomé :
- A caravan for awareness (18-19 November). 80 taxi-motorbikes, 2
trucks with trailers and 2 brass bands crossed the city to make the World
Day better known. About 300'000 people could see the caravan;
- A football match (19 November). The match was The match
an opportunity for the NGOs representatives to share information on child
abuse and violence against children. More than 1000 persons attended;
- Performances by folk groups (19 November). Banners and posters
reminded of the World Day. About 2000 persons attended;
- A morning’s entertainment (19 November).
All organized and led by children. it included
projection of a documentary “Violence against children: Stop!”; speeches
by personalities; reading of the children’s message and its official
transmission to the representative of the Minister delegate close to the
Minister of Social Affairs, the promotion of women, in charge of child and
the elderly protection; and performances by various children’s groups
(Sketches, songs, poems). - The inauguration of a Center for training and
improvement of housework technicians (“servants”) (20 November). Its main objective is to
reduce tensions caused by lack of training of employees. Many
personalities such as political authorities attended and expressed
themselves;
- Advertising activities. Conception of awareness
material for distribution and displaying in the main streets and
crossroads of Lomé (posters, banners, fliers, T-shirts / UN Study on
Violence against children recommendations / Committee on the rights of the
child recommendations); Broadcasting of radio programs on child abuse and
violence in Togo and worldwide tow-weeks long. Seven radios covered
the activities organized on the occasion of the World Day; Publishing of
advertisements and articles on the World Day by nine newspapers;
Broadcasting of television programs on the World Day by two of the most
important TV Channels.
- Similar activities were organized by WAO partners in
the cities of Sokodé and Sotouboua. Lots of people attended too.
In total, ten radios (audience rate: 300'000 persons), twelve newspapers (2000 to 10'000 copies) and national television channels participated in the campaign and in mobilizing the population.
The population who can have been touched by all theses activities is estimated 600’000 persons in Lomé.
Results : Thanks to all the activities carried out, NGOs cooperation as well as the cooperation between NGOs and the government has been reinforced and child participation was real. Children met the Prime Minister and gave him the Children of Togo Declaration. He agreed to transmit it to the Head of State. He also agreed to become the honorary president of the national movement of children. This movement gather on an informal basis and looks for a partner to finance its activities.
Two additional
awards (US$ 500 each)
Observatorio sobre Infancia de la Universidad Nacional de
Colombia, Colombia
The Observatory team decided to organize academic activities as well as awareness activities with the University Community (12-21 November), to help understand the issue of child abuse in Colombia:
- 15 November: Radio program by the National University of Colombia.
Members of the Observatory shared information about child abuse in
Colombia as well as the rights of the child in general. They also invited
the community to take part in the activities organized on the occasion of
the World Day. It is estimated that about 800’000 people from Bogotá
listened to this program.
- 16 November: Forum-Debate on child abuse in Colombia. Political and
academic experts participated and more than 300 people attended the
Forum-Debate (teachers, students, professionals, representatives of grass
root groups, among others). It made the public aware of the punishment
child abusers face and how institutions care for victims of sexual abuse
in Bogotá.
- 17 November: A cultural event for awareness of child sexual abuse
took place in a central area that many people pass by from the academic
community (teachers, students and administrative employees of the
University). This included artists’ performances on prevention of child
abuse and the promotion of the rights of the child. They went around
campus with placards and the 2000 flyers that the Observatory printed out
to educate those that passed by on the World Day.
- 21 November: Presentation "Contributions to the UN Study on
Violence against children: three Colombian Case Study". 1 Child
sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation: voices of children 2 Training
for the promotion of positive education and elimination of corporal
punishment 3 Parameters for media coverage of child sexual abuse and child
sexual exploitation. More than 150 people attended the event.
- 12-21 November: Mobilization for action. The above-mentioned activities
were accompanied with a strong media campaign diffusing articles, e-mail
messages and posters displayed in various institutions. The journalist
team of the university wrote two articles on the World Day for prevention
of child abuse-19 November and published them on Internet.
A video of the 2006 campaign is available at WWSF headquarters.
********************************************
Organisation Nationale des Femmes Rurales « Fleurs de Centrafrique
» -ONFR/FC, Central African Republic
The
Council of Ministers gave ONFR/FC permission to mark the World Day in the
country. The following activities were organized from 10 to 19 November 2006:
- Raising awareness of parents, teachers and guardians
through the national radio ;
- Purchasing clothes for pupils, street children and
children with no schooling;
- Displaying posters and banners with slogans for the
elimination of violence against children in schools, universities,
churches, markets and in the city of Bangui in general;
- Organizing a conference-debate on the national radio
and television, including speeches by the president of the organization,
the representative of the Minister of Family, Social Affairs and
Solidarity and by a lawyer specialized in child rights;
- New public awareness in the popular district of Bangui.
Thanks to ONFR/FC’s efforts, the Central African Republic recognized for the first time the World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse and promised to commemorate the World Day every 19 November according to the Ministerial ATTESTATION published below. UNICEF-CAR also promised to include the Day in its program.
================================================================
To leave the list, send your request by email to:
wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com. Thank you.