Community workers and Councillors get legal skills training
Participants at the training workshop with their certificates.
24 Community Development Officers and Ward Councillors in Central province have been up skilled on community human rights issues by Individual and Community Rights Advocacy forum and the Community Justice Liaison Unit. The sector's Community Justice Liaison unit has embarked on this program as a means to strengthen service delivery at the district and ward level of the Central province.
The one-week workshop held at Sivarai Namona facilitated for by ICRAF's Lawyers Ms Sharon Pupumari and Ms Helen Amnold and CJLU provincial project officer, Ms Regina Rokam was undertaken with the following objectives:
· Train the participants on the basics of human rights before conducting the para-legal training; and
· Carrying out awareness as to what the community rights program is and how it can assist the participants in their work.
The program is a lead up to the basic legal skills training that CJLU has planned for the Community Development Officers and Ward Councillors of the Central province. It is a program that is focused on law and justice service delivery by assisting clients with counselling, court forms (summons, affidavits etc). This is to reduce transaction cost incurred by ordinary people of the central province, so that through the Community Development Officers some of this court services can be delivered at the Community and Ward level.
Participant Lilian Ugava from the Abau District said: " The training has provided insights into how best we can also assist clients at the District and Ward level, it also empowers us as community development officers to be proactive in our roles and responsibilities"
Anne Vavari who is a civil registry officer at Abau District, also said: "While working for Civil registry she can also assist women at the District level in terms of basic legal information, the training also compliments her work very well."
Gabriel John who is a Community development Officer for Rigo District indicated that the workshop has granted him new dimension to the work he does as a community development officer. "I now have new skills of which I can use to help clients at the district level with welfare matters".
The Director of Child Welfare Ms Isabela Salatiel at the closing of the program congratulated the participants and thanked Community Justice Liaison Unit for the contribution towards building capacity of Community development officers. The Department for Community Development has embarked on a focus towards this, and was great to have CJLU to take this on.
For further information contact: Ms Regina Rokam on email :regina.rokam@cjlu.org.pg or phone 323 3103/ 323 3098
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