They came on holiday but found common cause in what they do to alleviate problems related to the child and shared experiences with their Bhutanese counterparts. A team from the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN), met with individuals and organizations on August 27.
During the session, the team talked about increasing public awareness of all forms of violence against children, developing activities to prevent such violence and promoting the rights of children. “We as a country are doing quite well in terms of the welfare of our children. However, in a country where we pursue GNH, even one instance of a child being neglected, one woman battered or a person discriminated is bad enough to prick our consciousness,” said the education minister, Lyonpo Thakur Singh Powdyel. The team’s talk not only applied to the stakeholders but to all individuals.
An estimated 300 million children worldwide are subjected to violence, exploitation and abuse including the worst forms of child labor in communities, schools and institutions during armed conflicts and to harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage.
Millions more remain without adequate protection. “There is a necessity to carry out comprehensive studies on the circumstances of our vulnerable children and by all means we will be working towards it. So far all our stakeholders have been doing well and there is more to be done,” said Lyonpo Thakur Singh Powdyel.
Bhutan was one of the first countries to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990 and has since been investing steadily in services to benefit children. The government allocated more than 26 per cent of its resources in 1999 to the social sector.
Dr Gepke Hingst, UNICEF representative, said the situation of children in Bhutan so far has been good compared to other parts of the world and that Bhutan was looking for ways to address this problem.
While child abuse needs a serious probe, awareness on child neglect also needs to be created.
Dr Marcellina Mian, Professor of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, pointed out that to go about such activities, it will need to be worked out at the country’s level, for which a leader or system would be required- management plans devised, roles defined and tasks assigned. Most of the participants found the session interesting and offered their views.
Lieutenant Karma Rigzin, Officer in Charge of Women and Child Protection Unit, said the talk held by the team was a good learning experience.
“Such issues on child abuse were always present and for law enforcement it is very encouraging to have people come forward because we cannot do it alone, it has to be a collaborated effort.” The meeting was organized by the National Commission for Women and Children and UNICEF.
Author Tashi Wangmo
Source: Bhutan Observer – 29 August 2008
