Dear bloggers

It's been ages since I updated you on what going on on the VAC project.

Today I am delighted because we've finished the basical training of youth on the VAC porject . They are now armed to fihgt violence against children.

Youth/children from the 7 countries enganged in the project are now trained in advocacy and social media. they also developped their advocacy work plans to fight violence.

So many things have happened since then. I will tell you later on.

Further more they also produced more Comic book on VAC. Very soon you will have "Aie ça fait mal" 2, 3 and 4. And of course the english versions.

We are almost at the end of the year and want to wish you all the best for the new year.

Let's keep in touch for the fight. Only your comments will help us move on.

Do not hesitate to visite the VAC website to update yourself with information vac.plan-childrenmedia.org

The Violence Against Children Website is Online!
http://vac.plan-childrenmedia.org

Plan West Africa and Save the Children have launched their new website addressing different forms of violence that children are exposed to: Physical, psychological and Sexual Violence, neglect, maltreatment or exploitation…

The site follows up on the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children and supports Plan’s global campaign to end all forms of violence at school « Learn Without Fear ».

The Violence Against Children website invites you to:

• Obtain information regarding the different forms of violence inflicted upon children in different settings and what Plan, Save the Children and others do to end them (documents, articles, etc.)
• Listen to radio shows and watch videos produced by children in West Africa on the topic
• Read comic books and watch cartoons
• Listen to children’s testimonies and songs
  
  The website also contains a blog for children and adolescents to discuss their own experiences on violence and share what can be done to end it. It is meant to give the newly appointed UN Special Representative on Violence Against Children the opportunity to get first hand information on what children and youth think and experience.
  
  The Violence Against Children website integrates in Plan’s Media, Youth and Development platform, which highlights media productions on child rights made by children in partnership with Plan.
  
  The Media, Youth and Development website was launched last year on the occasion of International African Child Day and has already received more than 11,400 visits from 169 countries!
  
  Come and discover the The Violence Against Children website, and seize the opportunity to see what news is on the Media, Youth and Development website! Keep in touch with your peers from West Africa!
  
  2 addresses to add too your favorites and to be shared with others :
• Violence against Children : http://vac.plan-childrenmedia.org
• Media, Youth and Development : http://www.plan-childrenmedia.org/
  
  For further information, please do not hesitate to contact me: anastasie.koudoh@plan-intrenational.org
  

From March 6th to 8th, 2009, was organized in Lokossa, Bénin an advocacy workshop for the group of children and youth that are piloting the VAC project in Benin. The members of the CDED and some members of the CCDED participated in the workshop. It was facilitated during the 3 days by Mrs Koudoh of Plan WARO and M. Michel Kanhonou of Plan Benin.

The workshop helped participants understand the concept and tools of advocacy and how to apply them directly to the VAC project. This project is one constituent Plan’s “Learn without fear” in the world.
Participants identified different forms of violence that affect children in their communities, work settings, home and family, in schools and in care and justice system.

Thanks to the tools such the power flower, the problem tree to analyse causes and consequences the issues of VAC, the identification of the advocacy targets… participants developed their action plan that they are going to implement with their peers.

At the end of the workshop, some participants gave their impressions:

«During the 3 days, I learned the rights and duties of children, some tools to fight against violence". Thalès

«I am very happy with this training because it gives us a lot to be able to fight against cases of violence that are common in our communities". Zita

Fight Violence Against Children

 

Fight Violence Against Children

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN'S PROJECTS

Many people visiting for the fist time this blog will be asking themselves: VAC project, what is all about?

A study of the UN Secretary-General on Violence against children has drawn a sombre picture on the worldwide suffering of children from violence as well as some recommendations for a way forward to ending it. The appointment of a Special Representative to the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Violence against Children provides a unique opportunity to keep the global debate that the study has created alive and advocate for the implementation of the recommendations. It is also an opportunity for advocating for expanding the recommendations made where they are not sufficiently address children’s and youths’ rights and concerns for protection.
It is evident that children and youth will have to continue playing a crucial rôle in ensuring that the debate on violence against children is being framed around their real-life experiences and that the Special Representative takes action on their behalf.
A project is designed to address the issue of violence against children: THE VAC PROJECT

The aim of the project is to make the content and follow-up mechanisms of the Violence against Children Study widely known amongst children, youth and their caretakers in West Africa and mobilize a wide representation of children and youth in the region in actions to prevent and respond to violence against children.

Many activities are planned to achieve this goal:
Children empowerment to advocate and produce reports on violence cases in the five areas where violence happens: home and family, school and educational settings, the community, work settings and in care and justice system
The activities will also include production of comic books and cartoons, radio spot and radio shows, budget monitoring, and networking…

Most important partners in the project will be children/youth groups from Benin, Ghana, Guinee, Togo, Mali and Togo and also youth and children's from Save the Children Sweden's countries; Cote d'Ivoire and Gambia.

The production of the comic books and cartoon started as you can see.
Today is another great day for the children and the youth from Senegal to continue the production of the cartoon and the comic books.
I hope everything will go on well.