BY MA CHEE SENG
KUCHING: The Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) accreditation signals Kuching City South Council’s (MBKS) commitment to social wellbeing and governance, says Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian.
“A child friendly city is a city, town, community or any system of local governance committed to fulfilling child rights as articulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“It is a city or community in which children’s voices, needs, and priorities are integrated into public policies, programmes, and decisions that affect their lives and future.
“The five key concepts are child-friendly schools, child-friendly hospitals, child-friendly communities, child-friendly budgets, and child-friendly toilets,” he explained.
Dr Sim’s speech was read by Deputy Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government, Michael Tiang Ming Ting on Thursday (Oct 27) during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between MBKS and United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) Malaysia to fully support the CFCI.
The MoU will also advance the structured partnership between Unicef and local governments, governed by the CFCI handbook in order to ensure quality, consistency, and the protection of Unicef and local authority partners.
“The CFCI aims to become a place where children are safe and protected from exploitation, violence, and abuse, rather than creating perfect cities.
“It is for children to have a good start in life, to grow up healthy and cared for, and to have access to essential services as well as to experience quality, inclusive, and participatory education and skill development,” he explained.
“Making cities more child-friendly will benefit families, the economy, and society as a whole, providing a platform for developing scalable solutions and a framework for developing partnerships between local governments, the private sector, civil society organisations, and communities.”
Meanwhile, MBKS mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng said the community should understand the purpose of this convention and why it had to start now, especially in this digital world.
“The more advanced the world becomes, the more our children are exposed to its diverse threats.
“So we need to work hand in hand to ensure our children grow up in a safe place. They need our protection and we need to give them their rights.”
