On February 5 and 6, the Arc-en-Ciel Association held its first training course, “Pour une meilleure protection des enfants victimes de violences”, in Gabon. The two days were held in Port-Gentil.
The training began with a presentation of the Association’s objectives and activities by Sister Julienne Eyeya, the structure’s coordinator. The days were then led by : Anaëlle Pouna, jurist at the Arc-en-Ciel and Espoir Centers, for the legal part; Seventh Boungouendji, psychologist at the Arc-en-Ciel and Espoir Centers, for the presentation of the centers; and Agnès Godefroy, DCC(Délégation Catholique pour la Coopération) cooperant, for the human sciences part.
The following topics were discussed:
- The current state of violence in Gabon, to highlight the widespread existence of various forms of violence against women and children, often linked to the frequent resignation of parents.
- A reminder ofGabonese law on violence, and in particular the Children’s Code, drafted in 2019 and unfortunately little implemented in practice.
- Arc-en-Ciel’s support for victims: what sets Arc-en-Ciel apart from other shelters in Gabon is its multi-disciplinary approach, which provides comprehensive support for all victims (educational, psychological, legal, health, social and religious).
- Non-violent communication (NVC) as a remedy for all forms of violence: the aim was to explain the key elements of NVC, a method that can be used to disarm a large number of violent situations through communication: words against evils.
- Elements for a true emotional, relational and sexual education for children and young people: training children and young people, helping them to know themselves in their sexual dimension is the best way to help them gain responsibility and live a happy and fulfilled sexuality, free from all violence.
The participants showed a keen interest in each of these topics. They testify to the relevance and usefulness of this training, given the ignorance of these subjects among many of them. These results encourage Arc-en-Ciel to extend the target audience, in particular to schools, parents and teachers, but also to young people. The next editions will take place in Moanda (February 25 & 26) and Libreville (March 12 & 13).
Sister Julienne Eyeya Munzebe, ccv
