By Nancy Nais
KUCHING, Oct 27: Kuching South City Council (MBKS) marked another milestone today for being the first local authority in stepping forward to implement the Child-Friendly City Initiatives (CFCI) in Sarawak.
CFCI is a city or town in which the voices, needs, priorities and rights of children are an integral part of public policies, programmes and decisions.
Among others, it is where children have a good start in life and grow up healthy and cared for; have access to quality social services; live in a safe secure and clean environment with access to green spaces; are protected from exploitation, violence and abuse; meet friends and have places to play and enjoy themselves; and to have a fair chance in life regardless of their ethnic origin, religion, income, gender or ability.
Speaking at the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony with United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) Malaysia this evening, MBKS mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng said the event marked their first step towards the implementation of CFCI and that the council want its people to know that they are serious with the goal to provide a safe and secure environment for children.
“MBKS fully supports the CFCI. We aim to become a place where children’s rights are protected and their voices are heard. I am confident with our ability and capability to be a Child-Friendly City.
“However, MBKS needs to be guided by Unicef to ensure that all the requirements are fulfilled and followed. We are not an expert in child matters but we believe the council together with the councilors will be working very close with Unicef and the Ministry of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Sarawak to achieve this,” Wee said.
Although Kuching is generally a safe and friendly city, Wee acknowledged that not everyone in this city enjoys the comfort that they deserve.
He said every society on earth shares the same secret, namely the marginalised, the forgotten, the afflicted, from the oldest to the youngest.
“While most people living in Kuching have strong family and community ties, we must accept that some children in our community do not grow up in a loving home.
“There are those who grow up without food on the table or clean water to wash in. Some also suffer abuse, neglect and these are happening here in Kuching,” Wee said, adding that it is a sad fact in every society around the world.
When there are cases where the family cannot provide, he urged public institutions to step in to set a standard for the whole of society.
Meanwhile, Sarawak has numerous child-friendly policies including the Social Intervention Programme on Sexual Education Awareness and Advocacy (KAPS) lead by the Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development.
On the other hand, Wee said Malaysia as a country has also implemented a range of measures to protect children from violence, exploitation and neglect, such as National Child Policy, Social Service Workforce Strengthening Work, National Strategic Plan in Handling the Causes of Child Marriage (2020-2025) and enacted the Child Act 2001 [Act 611].
Representing Unicef Malaysia at the MOU, Edgar Donoso said CFCI is not about creating perfect cities but improving children’s wellbeing with five important concepts, namely child-friendly schools, child-friendly hospitals, child-friendly communities, child-friendly budget and child-friendly toilets.
“Child-sensitive urban planning, service delivery and governance are critical for child wellbeing. At the same time, making your city more child-friendly will have significant benefits for families, the economy and society as a whole.
“CFCI accreditation will also serve as a signal of local authority’s commitment to social wellbeing and participatory governance,” Donoso added.
Explaining about the CFCI process, Unicef Malaysia social policy specialist Adam Ling said the overall process is divided into eight steps that starts with a MOU followed by situational analysis.
Next, is an action plan which must be agreed upon by all parties.
“Once this is done, MBKS will receive a candidacy city status. In Malaysia, there is only one city so far that has this status while in Asia itself, MBKS will be the third to receive (sic) a candidate city if it is done in timely manner.
“Then there will be a period for MBKS to implement the action plan, followed by an evaluation and finally the full recognition given as a CFCI,” Ling said, adding that the whole process will take about two to five years.
Deputy Minister of Public Health and Housing Michael Tiang Ming Tee witnessed the MOU signing, on behalf of Deputy Premier of Sarawak Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian. —DayakDaily
