CHILDREN across the country will now be more au fait with some of their fundamental rights, following the creation for distribution country-wide of booklets of child friendly versions of three recent updated laws: the Adoption of Children Act (2009 & 2011), the Custody, Contact, Guardianship and Maintenance Act 2011, and the Status of Children Act No 19 of 2009.

The documents were produced by the Rights of the Child Commission, and the Child Right Division, Childcare and Protection Agency, and the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, with technical and financial support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Minister of Human Services and Social Security Jennifer Webster, as she received copies of the three booklets from Chairperson of Commission, Aleema Nasir, at the Commission’s Peter Rose and Anira Streets building Monday, credited the late Rights of the Child Commissioner Shirley Ferguson for starting the initiative.
“Shirley, in herself, would have been happy today that this really became a reality because she was working on it,” Minister Webster said. She explained that “Shirley was one of those persons who advocated that things for children, especially sensitising our children, should be done in a very child-friendly way.”
Translating the documents from their legal language into simple terms was the passion of the late Commissioner; but Ferguson, regrettably died earlier this year before the project was completed.
Minister Webster also commended the commission for the initiative of having the laws that pertain to children become child-friendly, so that children throughout Guyana would be familiar with the laws that exist.

She said that the ministry is committed to ensuring that all the booklets are distributed as widely as possible, recognising the importance of ensuring that children understand their basic human rights in keeping with the Conventions of the Right of Child. “I think the more our children become au fait with their rights, Guyana will become a better society,” she said.
Nasir explained that the need for the booklets was recognised at a recent child participation workshop attended by children from all 10 regions. She said that at this workshop, the children spoke very assertively about all the things that they would like to see happen with regard to child care and child rights in Guyana.
She said that one aspect that the children were very vocal about was the need to better understand their rights.
Nasir also recognised the effort of Ferguson who, she said, had a passion for children, and was meticulous in her oversight of the project and worked meticulously and with much enthusiasm on it.
In attendance also was UNICEF Representative for Guyana and Suriname, Marianne Flach.

(GINA)