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The Child Protection Culture Roundtable (CPCR)

“For every conversation we have had, we will have ten more about children, No matter what is first on a meeting agenda, or what reason we have been invited to a place, we will talk about children, their rights for healthy and nurturing families, basic health services, a quality education and the opportunities to be active participants in their communities .we would talk about their place as the pivotal link in the process of human development.”  

Nelson Mandela & Graca Machel

The Child Protection Culture Roundtable (CPCR) – Be Our Host

Permit me to introduce to you, The Child Protection Culture Roundtable (CPCR).  It is our latest efforts to enlighten primary and secondary child caregivers in the life of the child on the critical issue of child protection. It is our commitment to leave every one without excuse in creating credible platforms to discuss and empower others and themselves on matters relating to Child Protection.

Having been in the forefront of Child Protection through the instrumentality of the law in the last 18 years and working with UNICEF in the last 9 years, we have come to the irresistible conclusion that the law as an independent tool of child protection is as powerless as a toothless paper tiger. Therefore, for the law to make sense, it must be mixed with enlightenment. It is our informed position that Enlightenment is Superior to Enforcement™ of the laws relating to children and their rights. The strength of enlightenment is that it leads to prevention of child abuse. ‘Prevention is better than cure.’

How does the CPCR work?

We seek conscious and influential individuals like you, who will assembly as a host, people of influence or friends within his/her network in a place of his/her choice and invite us to lead a discussion on Child Protection. We also seek organizations or group of friends, who will also work with us same way.

What we seek is an informal discussion, participatory in nature, brief enough not to waste the time of discussants, but long enough to sow an eternal seed that will empower every discussant to act in the best interest of the child at all times.  Therefore we seek to have the roundtable discussion at informal settings, like homes, gardens, offices, board/meeting rooms and other related relaxed environments. And if we have to meet in a hall, the sitting arrangement will be in form of community meeting.

We seek the CPCR to hold in evenings of working days and weekends. It may also hold in the mornings, afternoons and evenings of public holidays or weekends. The duration of CPCR is between 1 hour, 30 minutes and 2 hours. No group is too small to hold the CPCR. Our principle in respect of number is ‘where-two-or-three-gathered.’

Contents of CPCR

The CPCR discussions are done with in accordance to our MANDATE, ‘to bring to the front burner of the conscience and consciousness of individuals, private and public institutions in Africa, the PROTECTION, RIGHTS and RESPONSIBILITIES of the child for due respect IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD, using as instrumentalities of effectiveness, the provisions of the law, social intervention solutions and social empowerment advocacy.’  We take deeper look at contemporary Child Protection issues as they affect our children directly and indirectly. Discussions are guided by the Core Statement of APPROACH, which are guarded by universal principles of human existence and behavior as they affect our peculiarities as Nigerians and Africans.

The Ultimate Aim(s) of CPCR

The goal of CPCR is enlightenment. But enlightenment is not an end in itself. It is a means to an end. The goal of enlightenment is Child Protection Social Policing™. Child Protection Social Policing™ happens where every primary and secondary custodian within the four (4) institutions (Family, Community, State and International Community) responsible for the protection of the child are equipped with Knowledge (what to do), Skills (how to do it) and Attitude (wisdom and inner strength) to professionally and effectively protect, preserve and defend the rights of the child, even at the cost of personal discomfort.

At the end of CPCR, we seek that the discussants, having become persuaded that Enlightenment is Superior to Enforcement™ of the laws relating the protection of children will be willing to be inducted as one of our treasured Child Protection Social Policing™ Enthusiasts (ChildPRO). The twin post-CPCR commitment of our ChildPRO is to begin to relate with the children under their care according to their knowledge of Child Protection and also take a stand for the child and lead discussions on Child Protection in their own areas of influence or invite us to do same. For deeper understanding and effectiveness as Child Protection Social Policing™ Enthusiasts (ChildPRO), discussants may also enroll for The Child Protection Culture Academy.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading; remember the unforgettable words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, ‘We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.’ Building our children and youths for the future in perverted world is the responsibility of all men and women of conscience like you and I.We therefore earnestly look forward partnering with you as we urge you to give us access to your network as a platform for meaningful advocacy in the best interest of our children.  We round up this child-friendly advocacy in the words of Archimedes, ‘give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.’