FAQ

Child Guardians Organisation regards all information collected by the Monitoring and Documentation program relating to children and their families as strictly confidential and does not share such information with any party. Child Guardians may share statistics about the numbers of children at risk, but only in a manner that ensures confidentiality with regard to the identities of these children and their families.

The Monitoring program documents the six grave violations of child rights as identified by the UN (Killing and maiming of children; recruitment or use of children as soldiers; sexual violence against children; abduction of children; attacks against schools or hospitals; and denial of humanitarian access for children), in addition to other violations such as media violations and violations committed by the community, including child labour, early marriage, physical and emotional abuse, deprivation of education, and other direct or indirect violations against the children.

No. The child, his or her parents and/or the violation witness will not receive any compensation or fees in exchange for filing the violation. No such pledge will be made to them in order to maintain the credibility of the submitted reports.

Child Guardians is committed to conducting impartial monitoring and documents all violations committed by any party regardless of their political orientation or affiliation.

The monitoring of violations represents the first line of defense for children in their communities. It provides an indirect deterrent to perpetrators, as they realize that their violations are under scrutiny. Monitoring also guides awareness programs by highlighting the different patterns of violations against children.
Monitoring programs also help document crimes committed by parties to the conflict, and reserves the evidence and testimonies to be used if the perpetrators are prosecuted in future.

• Our initial approach is to coordinate with medical relief organizations and other medical institutions, and refer the case(s) to them. Child Guardians also supports medical organizations that do not have the capacity to fully cover the treatment, by organizing fundraising and advocacy campaigns. In addition, Child Guardians may assist in organizing local fundraising campaigns to fund the treatment as part of its strategy to empower society to undertake future initiatives.
• In the cases when the family or the caregiver can only cover part of the treatment cost, Child Guardians may assist in covering the remaining cost. In other cases, Child Guardians may cooperate with other medical organizations/institutions to cover the expenses.
• The expenses will be covered in full (100%) in the event of high-risk and urgent medical cases, and when the caregiver cannot cover the expenses on his or her own.

We consider child labour to be exploitative when:

• The children are denied their right to learn and play.
• The work causes physical harm, such as carrying heavy loads that are not commensurate with their age and may impede their physical growth.
• The child receives lower wages compared to his adult co-workers for doing the same amount/load of work.
• The child engages in grave forms of exploitative employment such as military recruitment or sex trafficking.

Considering the above, our case management teams will examine the best interest of the child to determine whether or not it is in his/her best interest to continue working. If it is clear that allowing the child to work is in his/her best interest, our teams will take steps to improving work conditions so that they allow the child to receive education and play, and in a way that does not impede their physical or mental development.
If training is required to improve the child’s chances of securing an appropriate job opportunity, Child Guardians will cover the cost of the training until the child completes it.

Poverty or material needs alone are not considered part of the vulnerability criteria that Child Guardians monitors (see our vulnerability criteria). This is why in such cases Child Guardians will only play a part in coordinating with relief organizations that provide such services/supplies.
However, if the case meets the vulnerability criteria, our network will work on empowering parents to help them provide for the basic needs of their family. Moreover, Child Guardians will refer the caregivers to other relief organizations and will follow up on their access to the services they need, in addition to assisting them in seeking employment.

If a case is accepted and meets the vulnerability criteria, Child Guardians will work with the caregivers to improve their living conditions by providing the following:

• Referral to organizations that assist in providing employment opportunities.
• Assist in the preparation of their CVs, and in distributing them to the appropriate channels.
• Direct caregivers to attend training and professional development programs in collaboration with the institutions that provide these services, in order to improve their skills.

• Child Guardians will first coordinate with the service providers that provide transportation costs to service recipients.
• If the services provided by these agencies do not cover transportation costs, Child Guardians shall refer them to another transport service provider.
• Transportation costs are paid if the caregiver cannot secure them, and/or if no other service provider agrees to cover them.

Child Guardians Capacity Building program is designed to benefit both individuals and institutions. Anyone who is interested in developing their skills and knowledge on child protection issues may apply. Organizations and agencies may communicate with our organisation to apply for the training they need.

The trainings are free of charge for individuals. As for institutions, Child Guardians may provide the trainings free of charge or for a fee depending on the financial capacity of the institution.

Child Guardians regards raising awareness and familiarizing the community with the principles of child protection as its highest priority and considers training and empowerment as some of the most effective tools for this purpose.

No. Child Guardians does not pay trainees for attending workshops, and will only provide training supplies and stationery.

When you complete one of our training courses you will receive a certificate of completion given that you fulfill two conditions: 1- maintain an average attendance rate of no less than 80%, and 2- score at least 60% in the relevant exam.

Child Protection committees are composed of influential and respected individuals who believe in the importance of child protection. Our Protection Committee members come from all walks of life (community leaders, representatives of civil institutions, teachers, and include women, men and children).

• The applicant should have a proven interest in child rights, volunteer work and teamwork.
• Should enjoy a good reputation in society and should demonstrate a high sense of responsibility to the community.
• Should have the ability to effectively reach out and clearly express the objectives of the committee.
• Should have the capacity and time to perform his duties effectively within the committee (meetings, training course, specific tasks), and the ability to fulfill his responsibilities towards the initiatives of the committee.
• Should adhere to the legal and ethical requirements of the committee (code of conduct, confidentiality, work ethics, etc.)
• The committee may require additional skills (experience in Law, teaching, accounting etc.).

Our main goal is to raise awareness of the importance of child protection and to promote positive community participation in the establishment of a sustainable child protection system.

Members of the committees do not receive any remuneration for their membership. Studies have shown that community participation becomes more efficient, committed and independent when participants are not financially compensated for their services.

Although members are not compensated for their services in the committee, they usually benefit from expanding their social networks, developing their skills within the child protection sector, as well as enhancing their sense of responsibility and civil service.