Numerous consultations with children in Dominica have emphasized that the right to children’s security and protection needs enforcement in their homes and in their schools. Due to ongoing advocacy, children themselves, youth, adults, civil society and the public sector are voicing the urgent need to make this a priority.
Consequently, as part of East Dominica Children’s Federation support towards creating safe and protective school environment through the Child Friendly Schools initiative, a Child Assault Prevention Project has been launched in 6 primary schools around Dominica. This project is undertaken in partnership with the International Center for Assault Prevention (ICAP) headquartered in New Jersey (http://www.internationalcap.org), The West Dominica Children’s Federation and the Government of Canada Fund for Local Initiatives through grant funding of EC$48,573.00
This project follows a successful pilot funded by CFLI, UNICEF and ChildFund in 2015 in which 40 child and social workers were trained to facilitate the project for over 900 participants in two urban Primary Schools in Dominica (Goodwill Primary and Roseau Primary).
The expansion of this initiative seeks to replicate the favorable outcomes from the pilot phase and provides the opportunity to empower teachers, parents and most importantly, children to avoid, prevent and resolve conflict/assault by peers and adults and thereby create a more inclusive and supportive school, home and societal climate. It directly teaches children to recognize and deal with potentially dangerous situations, and train teachers and parents to help. Participating schools are Salybia, Sineku, San Sauveur, Mahaut, Penville and St. Lukes Primary.
The completion of school staff and parents workshops over the past weeks have set the stage for the commencement of the classroom workshops which will commence on February 22nd and run through the second week of March.
Some of the funds will also cater to additional workshops on Rights-Based Approach and Ethical Behaviour Policy and Procedures in working with children and youth as well as a forum for NGOs to review the Child Abuse Reporting Protocol and make recommendations to the appropriate authorities within the next few weeks.
Any effort to protect the children from any kind of abuse and hurt is obviously a good thing.
What I see in this news article seems to be a number of organizations coming at the problem of child abuse from different directions.
I am asking myself:
What are they proposing to do that has not already been done if not in schools at least in other venues
Who is going to be conducting these workshops in the schools
What is their background and training 
Who will pay them because if they are professionals this will take them away from their regular work
What will be the content of the workshops
Exactly what will they be telling those who attend 
It has been suggested that each school have at least one qualified person the kids are told they can talk to if any person ANYWHERE troubles them. This must be somebody they can reach, somebody willing to go with them to the police if necessary.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.