NOCFS AND PARTNERS ROLL OUT PHASE 4 OF STREET CHILDREN RESPONSE PROGRAM IN NCD
The National Office for Child and Family Services (NOCFS) and its partners have commenced Phase 4 of the Street Children Response Program (SCRP) in the National Capital District (NCD), focusing on awareness, advocacy and parental engagement.
NOCFS Chief Executive Officer Jerry Wap said parents will now be held accountable for children found wandering the streets of Port Moresby.
“In the parental engagement component, we will find the parents of these street children and have them sign an agreement with the NOCFS. In that agreement, they will make a commitment not to let their children wander aimlessly on the streets,” Mr Wap said.
“Any parents who allow their children on the streets after signing this agreement can be penalised, including imprisonment for neglecting their children.
“Mr Wap clarified that the aim is not to threaten or intimidate parents, but to educate them about child rights and their responsibilities as primary caregivers.
The SCRP is a National Government program started two years ago aimed at removing children from the streets and reintegrating them into communities – including returning them to school, placing them in Out-of-Home Care Centres and referring them to health facilities.
In Phases 1 to 3, about 235 children were identified on the streets in NCD, Mt Hagen, Lae and Kokopo, processed and assisted through the referral pathway system.
According to NOCFS research, there are three categories of street children in PNG: children coming from villages and settlements to make a living on the streets, children actually living on the streets, and families living off the streets, including fathers, mothers and children.
“The NOCFS is providing leadership in bringing all important partners together so we holistically address this issue. In the next 50 years we don’t want to see this issue in our country,” Mr Wap said.
“Every child has the right to be educated, to live in a house, have the right to go to school and have the right to parents – that’s the information we want to relay to the public.
“Phase 4 started on Tuesday and will end on Saturday, covering major residential areas in Moresby North-West, Moresby North-East and Moresby South electorates.
NOCFS officers and partners will carry out awareness on child rights in hotspots, identify and counsel parents of street children, and have them sign agreements.
Partners in the program include the National Capital District Commission, National Department of Education, Port Moresby General Hospital Welfare Division, the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary and Out-of-Home Care Centres.
