As Children’s rights continue to rise to the forefront of public policy consideration, the Rights of the Child Commission (ROCC) on Monday launched its Strategic Five Year Plan (2012-2016).
Among other things, the plan provides the framework for action that seeks to facilitate the achievement of the commission’s mandate, and to contribute to greater results for children throughout Guyana.
The plan was done with the assistance of a key partner, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which donated the US$500,000 needed to cover the Financial as well as Technical support needed to craft the plan.
The launching of the plan is being touted as a significant milestone in the work of the ROCC as the strategy provides the policy statements which contain the aspirations of the children themselves as well as those of caregivers responsible for them. In this context, the plan has not only taken into consideration the ideas of the persons crafting the policies, but also the individuals whom the policies have been crafted to protect. It has also taken a perceptive account of the various problems that plague our children.
A summary of the specifics of the strategic plan was laid out by Chief Executive Officer of the ROCC Orin Boston at the launch on Monday. He revealed that the major goals of the plan are to promote and advocate the rights of children; monitor and evaluate the effects of the advocacy campaign; and to investigate cases where the rights of children are being violated and make recommendations in suggested situations.
According to Boston the plan has four main components, with the first being ensuring that the best interest of children is realised in a legal and policy context. The second component of the plan concerns the Summary Outputs and Expected Outcomes of the plan. Boston said that the ROCC intends to aggressively spread awareness and promote the rights of children, as well as the work of the ROCC in the hopes that people will be able to identify the violation of rights and will trust the commission enough to report such instances.
The third component deals with the Key Strategies of the plan. According to Boston, the ROCC intends to utilise evidence acquired from observation as well as research to execute part of its objective.
This particular aspect of the plan was lauded by Bernt Aasen, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, who was visiting Guyana on Monday. According to Aasen, “we must continue to invest the most in those that have the least, and without this particular framework that has been established, it is unlikely that change will ever be achieved.”
In addition, the ROCC intends to develop and maintain relationships with various stakeholders in society, such as government officials, the media, and Neighborhood Democratic Councils (NDCs). Boston stated that every person, institution and organisation in society are stakeholders, since it is everyone’s business to ensure that children’s rights are upheld. He also stated that having such relationships, both formal and informal, will increase the capacity of the ROCC to fulfill it mandate. “Various complaint mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that persons are able to make reports of observed cases of violations, or if they themselves are victims of rights abuse,” he said.
The final component of the plan deals with Monitoring, Investigation, and Recommendations.
This component will enable the ROCC to determine whether it is making an impact on the problem of rights violations, and what can be done to rectify any inefficiency in its operations. Boston also stated that the ROCC intends to enhance its image in the public’s eye, which he believes will increase the trust and confidence persons have in the organisation. “It is important that people know that results that are given after investigations will be partial, and that follow-ups will be done in all situations,” he said.
Dr. Suleiman Braimoh, UNICEF Area Representative for Guyana and Suriname, stated that he was enthused by the dedication and commitment demonstrated by the ROCC. “Children more than any group in society need assistance,” said Braimoh, adding that “UNICEF has no choice but to partner with the ROCC” to assist in the accomplishment of their endeavors.
Speaking on behalf of the Office of the President, Presidential Advisor on Governance Gail Teixeira congratulated the ROCC on its accomplishment and urged that it continue to work towards addressing gaps that exist within society relating to child rights.
“Works must continue to be done as we ensure that children know what their rights are and can therefore be able to realise when they are being abused and report any situation where their rights are being violated,” Teixeira said.
She also lauded UNICEF for its commitment to funding such programmes, while admitting that without the funding supplied by such donor agencies, the goals might be impossible to achieve. She, however, urged the ROCC to find other means of acquiring funding for its projects due to the fact that the global economic crisis has dramatically decreased the amount of funds that will be available for future projects.
