80 parents receive safeguarding training

In the poverty stricken town of Guacamayal in Colombia, physical, emotional and sexual abuse is traumatising children and destroying families and is an issue that has been kept in the shadows for far too long.

Our care centre exists to bring care, love and support to children and our psychologist provides counselling support, working one to one with children to help them overcome trauma as well as running regular workshops to help safeguard children. Through this support, we address the root causes of our children’s struggles and, with God’s love, children can know their true worth.

The care centre ran a safeguarding training day where 80 parents attended. Our psychologist conducted the training which was informative and covered topics addressing mistreatment, sexual abuse and the ways in which abusers approach children.

There was a focus on how parents can establish trust between them and their children so that children can feel comfortable to tell their parents if they are the victim of abuse and, very importantly, training parents on how to take care of their children and best protect them from abuse. Parents listened eagerly as they learnt to not let their children travel alone and to not leave them alone with a family member or friend as well as how to spot the signs of abuse. The training also covered the risks of social media and told parents of the damages of child labour. The training ended with questions to test what the parents had learnt during the day

An essential part of the training detailed how to report a case of abuse to the authorities. The stigma from sexual abuse often means that when abuse is discovered, parents are too ashamed or too scared to report it, endangering children further. Parents are now equipped to challenge child abuse and have the confidence to take action when it is uncovered. Parents are encouraged that they have a place to seek help and support at our care centre.

Addressing the issue of child abuse is not an easy one and there is no quick fix, but our staff at the Emmanuel Care Centre are committed to challenging perspectives and bringing protection and hope to children to see long-term transformation in the community. The attendance of 80 parents is a sign of the progress we are making as we train, educate and support for families to raise their children in a safe, secure and loving environment, as every child deserves.