About 55 parents in the National Capital District (NCD) whose children were classified as street children have been counseled by the National Office for Child and Family Services (NOCFS) recently.
According to a statement, these parents were counseled, assisted with food rations and signed agreements with the NOCFS promising not to allow their children to roam the street again.
NOCFS Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Jerry Wap says the 55 parents that were identified have made commitments not to allow their children to wander off onto the streets, knowing that there would be consequences if this happens.
Mr. Wap said that the aim of the exercise was not to scare, threaten or intimidate parents but to educate them about child rights and remind them of their duties and responsibilities as primary caregivers to children.
“We’ve identified 55 parents and had them sign agreements with the NOCFS. Of the 55, Moresby North-West had 26 parents, Moresby North-East 18 and Moresby South 11 parents. In that agreement, the parents have made an undertaking not to allow their children to roam aimlessly on the streets of Port Moresby again,” he said.
According to Mr. Wap, the parental engagement component was crucial because some of the 235 street children identified and processed in the Street Children Response survey in 2024 were back on the streets, so their parents needed to be held accountable for allowing this to happen.
NOCFS and its partners have successfully concluded phase 4 of the Street Children Response Program, last Wednesday.
Phase 4 of the Street Children Response Program, which involved family tracing and parental engagement, began on October 13 and concluded on October 21.
In the exercise, members of the Joint Task Force Committee on street children conducted awareness in hotspots areas of the NCD and identified street children and their parents.
The Joint Task Force Committee officers conducted awareness in places like Gerehu, Waigani, Tokarara, Hohola, Gordons Market, 9 Mile, Erima, Sabama, Konedobu, Manu, Taurama, Badili and Koki.