CHILDREN VITAL CHANGE AGENTS: MARTA SANTOS PAIS

Special Representative of the United Nations General-Secretary on Violence Against Children Marta Santos Pais says children are very important agents of change.

Ms Pais, who was in Solomon Islands last week, made the comment at a press conference in Honiara.

She said children are often seen as the victims or recipients of our support and interventions, but they are also important agents of change.

“We see children very often as the victims or recipients of our support and interventions, but children are very important agents of change. They are very important observers of how well the government is doing, what are the results that are happening in the school, in the community, in the village and in the capital.”

Meanwhile, the visiting Special Representative has called on the Solomon Islands Government to continue to  give policy and budget attention to work that prevents and addresses violence against children.

“The second message is for the Government to continue to keep at the highest level of its policy agenda and budget allocation, the support to preventing and addressing violence against children so that it doesn’t get diluted amongst many important policy priorities that the Government will have to face and I am much aware of the many challenges, you know, that exist.”