2023-07-16 21:23:44
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The Italian Government and the Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in West Africa signed the agreement for the implementation of phase 2 of the Support for the Protection of Child Victims of Violation of their Rights (PAPEV), this Friday, July 14. According to the press release received by our editorial staff, the agreement was signed by Mr. Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva and by HE Mr. Giovanni Umberto De Vito, Italian Ambassador in Dakar, in the presence of Robert Kotchani, Regional Representative of OHCHR in West Africa, and Marco Falcone, Director of the Dakar office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.
Still according to the source, the Italian Ambassador recalled the priority importance that Italy attributes to the protection of human rights, especially of the most vulnerable people and to the constructive dialogue maintained with the Governments of partner countries to develop the most appropriate multidisciplinary policies and actions to better promote and protect children’s rights. Ambassador De Vito also underlined the appreciation for the quality of the technical cooperation and the capacity building offered by the High Commissioner to all the actors involved in the field and the will of his authorities to continue the satisfactory collaboration with the OHCHR following the execution of phase I of this project.
“Indeed, the implementation of the Support Project for the Protection of Child Victims of Violation of their Rights (PAPEV) between January 2018 and December 2022 in six countries of the region (Senegal, Mali, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Niger) was a decisive step in the deployment of responses for the prevention of violence and the consideration of the needs of child victims of violence,” the aforementioned document states.
Speaking on the scope of the PAPEV, the Director of the AICS of Dakar underlined the raising of the level of political commitment of decision-makers and the interest given to solving the problem of children in vulnerable situations through the call for Banjul Action, following the high-level advocacy meeting of ministers in charge of child protection in the ECOWAS region. He noted remarkable progress in this direction, namely: “At the de jure level, thanks to the ownership of the project by the governments and their commitment, legislative and institutional reforms have been carried out. These include the adoption of the new children’s code in Guinea Bissau as well as the revision and adoption of the children’s code of the Republic of Guinea. But also of “the adoption of guidelines for the alternative placement of children in foster families in Guinea as well as the adoption of minimum norms and standards for child care institutions in The Gambia”.
According to the Regional Representative of the OHCHR, Mr. Robert Kotchani, during phase I, the OHCHR was able, with the Italian Cooperation, to build a regional approach to the protection of children. Thus, “since its launch in July 2019, in total, more than 3,500 children have directly benefited from the services offered by the project, 48 care structures established in the beneficiary countries (22 for Mali, 10 for Guinea, 14 for Senegal, one in Gambia) benefited from various materials in order to improve the conditions of care for children: bedding (mattresses, beds, sheets, blankets) and cleaning products. In addition, nearly 775 actors in the judicial chain (juvenile court judges, prosecutors, magistrates, police officers, gendarmes, prison guards, social workers, specialized educators) have been trained in legal and psychosocial support for child victims of violation. of their rights,” Mr. Kotchani added.
600,000 child victims of cross-border trafficking between 2015 and 2018
According to the statement, according to the latest surveys carried out by the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, between 2015 and 2018, more than 600,000 children in West Africa were victims of cross-border trafficking. And empirical data shows that this number has increased for various reasons, including the security context in these countries, the precarious living conditions of children and the COVID-19 pandemic which is exacerbating already difficult socio-economic conditions.
Still according to the source, to complete the progress made and contribute to achieving SDGs 4, 5 and 16 in accordance with the 2030 Agenda, the Support Project for the Protection of Children Victims of Violation of their Rights (PAPEV II) , was thus confirmed for three years (2023-2026) and for a new amount of 4,000,000 euros. And two specific objectives will be pursued in this phase: Improve national and regional governance of child protection systems and promote transnational cooperation in the promotion of children’s rights in the ECOWAS region; Improve the care of children’s needs in the ECOWAS region by ensuring that children, girls and boys who are victims of violations of their rights have access to prevention and protection services and the promotion of the quality of interventions, including in emergencies and climate change.
The ceremony was marked by the presence of representatives of the beneficiary countries, namely Senegal, Gambia, the Republic of Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Mali.
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