BY KANICE HO

Viva Hong Kong conducted a proactive child protection training on 20 February, attracting around 40 participants. Attendees represented churches, schools and various children learning centres and, put altogether, they reach more than 6,000 children in the city.

In the training, delegates were provided knowledge on child abuse, as well as the importance of having a child protection policy. The comprehensive training also helped them to think what they can do to enhance child safety in their working environment.

More than 90 per cent of the delegates agreed that it was helpful and one said that the discipline system introduced was “eye-opening, and offered a specific and practical roadmap for an organisation to move forward”.

Other comments included:

• “Extremely informative training. Very helpful for our church.”
• “Provides a good insight: more than just child safety.”
• “An excellent resource for all international schools to develop meaningful and through child protection policy.”
• “It’s very helpful for us to be able to identify children who are actually going through situations that no one knows.”
• “Attending the child protection training is an excellent reminder as to why we are educators. Self-assessment of our organisation was meaningful.”
• “I’ve learned many practical things that I can bring back to the organisation I work for.”

We wish to see a higher awareness of child protection in this busy city, and Viva Hong Kong is determined to work with organisations to develop and implement child protection policy. Our children deserve to be nurtured in a place where they can feel loved and safe.