"MJCS Child Social Welfare Coordinator Tristelle Karae and Australia's Deputy High Commissioner Emily Fisher showcase the recently opened child friendly space in MJCS office in Port Vila."
Ministry of Justice child protection specialists highlight impact of Vanuatu-Australia partnership on Children’s Day
PORT VILA, JULY 24: As Vanuatu celebrates Children’s Day, child protection specialists from the Ministry of Justice and Community Services (MJCS) are highlighting the work the Ministry, and its partnership with Australia, is doing for children across Vanuatu.
Children are among the country’s most vulnerable groups with high numbers of girls and boys continuing to be at risk of child abuse, exploitation and neglect. The Child Desk in the MJCS leads the Government of Vanuatu’s child protection, justice and wellbeing initiatives, and working in this space is Tristelle Karae, the Child Social Welfare Coordinator.
She leads a team of Provincial Child Protection Officers across Vanuatu’s six provinces and explains how the effort to protect children spans the entire justice sector. “At Child Desk, we say our work spans across the whole chain of justice - it is our Vanuatu Police Force, our justice agencies including courts, Public Solicitor, Office of the Public Prosecutor, Corrections, and of course communities themselves who encounter children at their most vulnerable,” said Ms Karae. “The support offered by Child Desk to address, refer, support and advocate for children in need of care and protection provides a vital link to these different services.”
“Every time a child interacts with justice services, whether that’s a MJCS agency lawyer, a police officer, a chief in the village, or an officer in the detention settings - these moments must provide the highest quality of care for child victims, witnesses, offenders and the most vulnerable,” said Ms Karae.
As part of the sector wide effort to protect children, MJCS works with NGOs and international partners to deliver a holistic approach, so children have access to quality services. One such partnership is with Australia which has scaled up its support to Vanuatu to enhance children’s access to quality justice services and is supporting Child Desk to utilise best practice service delivery models.
These Vanuatu-Australia partnership initiatives include the establishment of purpose-built child friendly spaces in MJCS offices in Port Vila, Santo and Tanna to provide child victims of serious violence and neglect with welcoming spaces as they navigate their recovery, and a new database system for child case management. “For children at risk, it means faster responses and referrals, more personalised care, and improved privacy. That’s what matters. Now we can be there for more children and we’re grateful for the support of Australia and all our partners,” said Ms Karae.
According to Ms Karae the scope and scale of the Vanuatu-Australia partnership helps elevate child-centered work across the entire justice sector and across the farthest reaches of Vanuatu.
“All of us at MJCS are so proud of the impact of our longstanding partnership with Australia and how the rights of children sit so centrally within it. Every child matters, and that’s why we work together with our partners to make a difference for all of Vanuatu’s children. It is inspiring to be part of,” said Ms Karae. ENDS