Aruba is an island in the Caribbean and an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 1986. UNICEF supports the Aruban government in improving the safety of children on the island.
© UNICEF
© UNICEF
In 2022, the ACT4ECC project is set up for more safety for children in Aruba and Curacao. This project aims to raise awareness and capacity building of professionals who work with and for children. An online toolkit and an online magazine were launched for this purpose on November 20, 2023.
The development, (legal) assurance and implementation of the protection code is the responsibility of a national project group, which is supported with knowledge from UNICEF Netherlands, in collaboration with the Augeo Foundation and the National Department of Child Abuse Attention Officers (LVAK). It is important that this step-by-step plan is regularly brought to the attention of professionals, because they are not working on it all day. Together with the LVAK, the national project group has equipped local trainers with specific knowledge, skills and contextualized training materials on the importance and role of Attention Officers. These trainers have now trained 38 people who work within organizations that work with children as Attention Officers (or Supervisores di Codigo, as they are called in Aruba). Working with the Codigo di Proteccion requires from professionals further awareness (attitude), specific knowledge and skills. As a source of knowledge, the national project group has developed the website www.codigodiproteccion.com, which includes an animation, a test about the protection code and an infographic about child abuse. Augeo has made a substantive and technical contribution to this. Augeo and UNICEF the Netherlands are proud of the first steps that the project leaders of the Codigo have achieved.
The Aruban government is responsible for the observance of children's rights. Yet there are children in Aruba who live in unsafe conditions. UNICEF the Netherlands works together with the local government and local organizations to strengthen the child protection system. UNICEF the Netherlands shares technical expertise with the Aruban government, civil servants and professionals on how to help children in distress as quickly as possible. Professionals in Aruba take action faster and better when children are unsafe Since April 1, 2021, the Codigo di Proteccion for the safety of children has been in effect in Aruba. This protection code is a step-by-step plan (comparable to the Child Abuse Reporting Code in the Netherlands) for children who are in trouble. This Aruban protection code deliberately does not emphasize on reporting. The name contains the word protection (Proteccion) and that is exactly what this step-by-step plan is all about: detecting and bringing children to safety as quickly as possible. The aim of the protection code is that professionals who work with children can act faster and better if they identify insecurity in children. By following the different steps, help can be organized for the children and parents if necessary, so that child abuse stops and the child is safe
Check out the results in previous years
