Torit State Minister of Gender and Child Welfare is calling for urgent establishment of reformatory centers to help vulnerable children in the State
Minister Longejuk Vitale says, children on streets, those accompanying their mothers in prison, as well as orphans ought to have centers to mentor them
He asks the government partners to help establish a reformatory centre that could help improve the lives of children in difficult situations.
The minister acknowledges the children accompanying their mothers at state prison are in good condition
He expresses worries that they are adopted in unfavorable environment because of crimes committed by their mothers.
He says the centre will help separate innocent children from their mothers.
‘For the children who a companied their mothers in the prison, those children were treated very well the only difficulty is how do we separate them because they are not supposed to be with elderly people who are convicted there because the elderly have different bad practices, because they will also train these children from inside the prison because at night. We are not there with them but we shall try our best to make sure that we create a conducive environment where by those children will be isolated from those elders who are convicted in prison’.
Vitali says the government will work in collaboration with partners to save the future of children.
Celina Grace Peter, South Sudan Director for Gender and Child Welfare, says Juba will coordinate with Torit for the success of the facility.
She says the national government is yet to agree with partners to ensure the centre is established.
‘We also at our own capacity at national level put an effort and if they put the facility we do the training of the staff. This is the most important area and together with partners who are there we shall also ask the partner to say okay can you support the government in Torit for example to be able to set up a facility like this like the reformatory. This is what we are going to do and this is something I will pick up very seriously and work closely with my leaders in Juba at the same time coordinating with government in Torit’.
Grace admits the availability of the reformatory will enable the young generations to grow with sound minds.
Manager of Torit Youth Center, Emma Boniface, says the reformatory centers will help traumatized children become better citizens.
He says centers like schools or institutions that deal directly with young people are important for their mental development.
‘Anything that you want to do which is good it starts in the brain, for the children to start having some suffering it start in the brain so we need to respond to the brain of the
children. Schools will be one of the immediate items apart from the workshop for especially the workshop is to enforce and the item of hinging the people who are dealing with the young people direct, the step ahead is that after this workshop item two will be individually to reached the parents, individually the teachers who are there interact with them.
Boniface urges all institutions to educate young children to focus on their future.
Meanwhile the local government officer in Torit state mr. Maurice Wani Ladu, says, the government will now be able to reach the local population educating them on the rights of children in communities.
Wani says, his ministry majorly targets people in the grassroots.
The workshop that aims at enlightening the public on dangers of gild child marriage is attended by nearly 30 participants in Torit.
According to the national director for gender and child welfare, the campaign to eliminate harmful practices against children started before 2013 crisis to ensure children enjoy their rights
Lokonyen Aldo reporting for radio Emmanuel news Torit