June 23, 2022
PCHR Concludes Training Program: “Capacity Building for Child Protection Teams on Participation, Monitoring, and Accountability to Fulfill Their Rights”
PCHR Concludes Training Program: “Capacity Building for Child Protection Teams on Participation, Monitoring, and Accountability to Fulfill Their Rights”

 

 

Ref: 17/2022

Date: 23 June 2022

 

On Wednesday, 22 June 2022, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) concluded a training program on “Capacity Building for Child Protection Teams on Participation, Monitoring, and Accountability to Fulfill Their Rights.” The training course was attended by 70 female and male children, who were selected by 30 child rights organizations in the Gaza Strip and divided into two groups. The 60-hour training course was held over the course of 3 weeks from 31 December 2021 to 22 June 2022.

 

This training comes within PCHR project “Strengthen child participation, child rights monitoring, reporting and accountability to child rights,” funded by Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) in partnership with Save the Children and in coordination with community organizations.

 

This training aims to raise children’s awareness on national and international conventions, especially the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and to enhance their role in monitoring, documenting, and reporting violations against children. The training also intends to impower children to expose child rights violations, lead on data collection and accountability.

 

The training program was divided into three main components (20 hours/component):

 

  1. Introductory training on the international human rights law; international conventions signed by the State of Palestine, especially Convention on the Rights of the Child; monitoring and documenting child’s rights violations and following up and intervention mechanisms; violence against children and the national strategy to reduce it; empowering children in community participation, leadership, and accountability; and international and domestic protection for children.
  2. Training children on collecting and analyzing data, documenting and reporting violations against them, monitoring child’s rights, advocacy at both the national and international levels, communication skills, formulating Public Budgeting for the Realization of Children’s Rights, accountability and advocacy for child rights issues; and how to prepare, plan and implement initiatives and accountability sessions.
  3. United Nations human rights mechanisms; human rights commission; Special Rapporteur on the rights of the child; Committee on the Rights of the Child; preparing and writing international reports strategies; how to prepare and write official international reports; submission and follow-up on individual complaints.

 

In conclusion of the course, PCHR organized a closing ceremony, where Abdul Halim Abu Samra, Head of PCHR’s Training Unit, thanked the participants for thier interest, commitment and active participation during the training days and encourage them to transfer what they learned to their peers in the schools and institutions that nominated them and to nearby communities  for increased impact. Abu Samra added that in the coming phase, the children will join a a series of practical measures to implement what they have learned in the training course in reality through conducting practical learning days atnPCHR’s various units, visiting child rights organizations, holding accountability sessions with decision makers at both national and local levels, and preparing plans to organize and implement initiatives and support children to establish advisory boards. Abu Samra emphasized that PCHR will continue working with and exerting more efforts with partners to develop such programs in a way that guarantees their active participation and role in defending their rights.

 

For their part, the child trainees stressed that during this training they gained new skills and knowledge, enhanced their experience, developed their theoretical and practical knowledge in child’s rights, advocacy and accountability for child rights issues with the decision makers and community participation.  They added that the training will have a positive impact on their role in transferring knowledge and experience they learnt to their peers and local communities and enhancing their skills in monitoring and documenting child rights violations in addition to their role in reporting, accountability and addressing the competent authorities. Moreover, the participants praised PCHR and Save the Children for their role in advocating for child rights and Norad for sponsoring this project.