Myanmar Archdiocese organizes Awareness Course on Child Protection

A three-day course on Child Protection and Formation was conducted at the Archbishop's House from January 9-11, by the Missionary Childhood Association in Yangon Archdiocese. 

Altogether 106 persons from 33 parishes of the Archdiocese, including 1 Priest, one deacon, one religious brother, 9 EC members, 24 Religious Sisters, 5 Volunteers, and 65 Parish In-Charges, participated in the event.

Child Protection Policy, Child Laws and Rights, Child Developmental Course, Child Psychology and Child Formation, Children and Social Media, Catechism for Children, and Liturgical Celebration were the topics covered in the lectures during the event.

Resource persons were four priests, a physician, a layman, and a laywoman, who are the responsible members of the Missionary Childhood Association of Yangon Archdiocese.

After every lecture, a certain length of time for discussion and expression of personal opinion was made available for the course participants.

“The course was well organized. It increased the knowledge of the participants. There are many behaviors of the parents that are contrary to the lectures. Some parents are unknowingly misleading their children,” said Branda Khin Khin Aye, a lecturer on Child Rights and participant.   

From the lecture on Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), parents and caregivers are made known of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and violence.

“It is a sort of joy to know that the Universal Church obeys the directives of the Vatican and United Nations in regard to the Law and Child Rights. Very glad to know how to be aware of a child’s disposition and temperament. Social Media is a sort of challenge for bringing up children. Parents and caregivers are to be aware of the positive and negative points in regard to Social Media,” said Catechist Elizabeth Cho. 

Most of the contents in the course were still new to the majority of the participants. The training contents benefit the parents and caregivers of the children in the provinces.   

Catechist Regina Thiri Soe said it would be more appropriate to organize the course directly for the parents and the caregivers of the children and the young people.

Many participants agreed that it would be very fruitful if the course could be organized in all the dioceses and Archdioceses nationwide.

Certificates were given to participants who had fully participated in three-day programs. All the participants took part in the course till the end without fail.

The participants were meant to return to their parishes or locations and convey the messages they had learned in the Child Protection Course.

- By Hubert Saw