ETHIOPIA: Youths and Women of Ethiopia’s Meki Vicariate Trained on Safeguarding Awareness
His Excellency Abune Abraham, Bishop of Meki Vicariate
By Aman Desalegn
An awareness training on child protection and safeguarding of vulnerable adults was conducted for workers, youth, and women at Waragu and Chole parish under Meki vicariate from September 21-23, 2023. The main objective of the training was to create clear image on safeguarding and child protection for workers, youth women and key individuals within the parish in a way that they could cascade the safeguarding information for other parish members.
The training facilitated by Sr. Lovely Tomas, the focal person of child protection and safeguarding of vulnerable adults for the congregation of Holy Spirit’s sisters was supported by the congregation of Holy Spirit’s sisters at Chole Parish. The contents were guided by the professionals from Meki Catholic Secretariat education department, namely Ato Aman Desalegn; safeguarding diocesan focal person and Ato Gelila Shumiye; head of education department in Meki vicariate.
The training focused on topics the importance of child protection and safeguarding vulnerable adults, types of abuse and their impacts, defining the victims of abuse and perpetrators, situations where abuses, harassment, and exploitations are practiced, techniques of preventing abuses, complaints handling mechanisms, complaint reporting techniques, investigation process, procedures and techniques, anonymous reporting, investigation process and team, the behavior and working procedures of investigation team, post supporting of survivors, types of support for survivors such as health care, psycho-social support, legal etc., methodology of corrective measure on perpetrators, safe recruitment, contractual agreement, orientation and implementation.
During the training, the new policy of CBCE (Catholic Bishop Conference of Ethiopia) was explained and discussed by the participants. The Amharic version of the safeguarding policy of the congregation of Holy Spirit’s sisters which was extracted from the main CBCE safeguarding policy was also presented for participants. The child protection and safeguarding code of conduct for workers was explained in detail and all the participants signed the safeguarding code of conduct after the explanation.
Sr. Thomas promised to train the newly elected focal persons at Chole, Waragu, and Alemtena in the near future to start their activities with a clear direction that will help them to be fruitful in their activities.
