KENYA: What Next After Launch of AMECEA Safeguarding Standards and Guidelines?
AMECEA Child Safeguarding Standards launch
National Bishops Conferences from AMECEA Countries, have tasked the Association’s Child Protection desk, with a number of activities to ensure that the initiative towards developing strong child safeguarding policies across the AMECEA Region is achieved.
While promising to do their part, representatives from AMECEA conferences who attended the workshop on child safeguarding cum the launch of AMECEA Child Protection Standards and Guidelines in Nairobi between May 27th and 29th unanimously expressed the need for AMECEA Secretariat to take lead in reviewing the existing policies of the Conferences and assist those that are yet to come up with their own policies.
Below is what the Member Conferences promised to do and their suggestions to AMECEA with regards to the implementation of Child Safeguarding standards
Eritrea: Beyond the launch, Eritreans expect AMECEA Safeguarding desk to monitor, encourage, support and supervise the safeguarding policies in the respective conferences. The Eritrean delegation promised to raise awareness both among Christian communities and the society at large.
Secondly, they intend to review their existing child protection policy and translate it to their local languages.
Finally, they intend to review and amend their safeguarding policy as well as to teach child safeguarding and to evaluating the progress.
Ethiopia: Delegates from Ethiopia proposed that AMECEA Secretariat support Conferences on guideline developments for the implementation of the policy; follow up the policy development, implementation and updates; offer capacity building support on resource mobilization and skills on child protection; share international, continental and regional knowledge, practices and experiences with the conferences; organize yearly workshops on Child Safeguarding as a forum for the Conferences to share their best practices; ensure regular communication updates and form a forum for child protection officers; and finally that AMECEA develop data centre of child protection by collecting policies of the conferences.
They promised to continue with the implementation of the Ethiopian Catholic Church Child Nurturing Policy and mobilize resources to continue with the implementation of the policy.
They also promise to review their existing Ethiopian Catholic Church working document (HR) manuals in the light of the Child Protection Standards and Guidelines.
They intend to organize training for Child Nurturing and Protection officers as well as to mainstream Child nurturing and protection with sectorial departments and programs. Finally, they intend to finalize signing of the code of conduct in all the Catholic Institutions.
Kenya: Delegates proposed that AMECEA Secretariat facilitate meeting/ workshops for all the Conferences, taking them through the guidelines for their approval and ownership as this will ensure that it trickles down into dioceses; that it assists and/ or provide technical support to all the national offices as they review their policies; that it follows up and monitor what the national Conferences are doing when it comes to child safeguarding; and finally, that AMECEA to follow up with Conferences /national offices to ensure that they have put in place Child Protection Desks.
On their part, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) representatives indicated that even though their conference already has a child protection policy, there is need to review/ amend to ensure it is in line with the AMECEA Child Safeguarding Standards and Guidelines.
They promised to continue creating awareness on the policy through various Commissions, using their structures, and that key among them will be the Communications Commission.
The KCCB’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission has had Child protection as a weekly topic in previous Lenten campaign messaging, they recommended that the Commission continues to have the same in future campaigns.
Additionally, they intend to use the small Christian Communities for awareness creation on the Conference child safeguarding policy as well as partner with relevant Government institutions/Commissions, CSOs and other identified bodies dealing with Child protection.
Sudan and South Sudan: The delegates from the two countries who fall under one Episcopal Conference proposed that AMECEA Secretariat should engage the Bishops/Secretaries General to facilitate establishment of Child Safeguarding desk in the Member Conference; it assist and ensure that all the conferences comply with and enact the child safeguarding standards; that it evaluate the Conferences on what they are doing after the launch.
Conferences on the other hand expressed need for mentorship program in the conferences; continued and ongoing formation from the training; experiences sharing/ exchange or exposure visits to other conferences that have successfully implemented the standards.
They promised to lobby/ engagement for establishment of a Child protection desk at the Sudan Catholic Bishops Conference; to work towards establishing safeguarding policy; to prioritize the activities around child safeguarding.
They intend to create public awareness on child abuse through CRN radio stations. The conference should be tasked to share updates, reports about the progress made.
Malawi: Participants from Episcopal Conference of Malawi ECM proposed that AMECEA should facilitate review of policies in conference financially and technically; standardise practices and popularise the guidelines; create platforms for sharing of experiences, best practices and challenges among conference; and establish ways of monitoring the implementation of child protection policies in the conferences.
The conference challenged AMECEA Secretariat to facilitate the development of research on child abuse by collaborating with Catholic Universities and institutions in the region as well as the National Conferences.
The delegates plan to review their Child Protection policy document; translate it into their main local languages and popularise it; publicize the AMECEA Safeguarding Standards and Guidelines in dioceses; build the capacity of Church structures including Catholic Women Organization, PMS, catholic men organization and small Christian Communities on child protection.
Finally, they intend to collaborate with Government institutions such as Ministry of Gender, Policies and Judiciary.
Zambia: Delegates from Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops proposed that AMECEA provide technical support in developing and reviewing of policies in the various conferences; and to continue researching on all emerging dynamics around child abuse in close collaboration with research institutes and provide updates.
They promised to make follow-up with dioceses that have already formulated their guidelines and regulations to ensure conformity.
They also intend to provide technical support to all the dioceses that have not yet formulated their guidelines.
They will also continue with sensitization on child safeguarding and popularise the ZCCB Child Safeguarding Policy to all institutions of the Catholic Church in Zambia.
Additionally, they intend to ensure incorporation of Holy Childhood animators and marriage and family life catechists.
Finally, they will request the Bishops to implement the identification and appointing of focal point persons in all institutions of the Church in Zambia
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By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News
