By Rodgers Omondi, Busia
Child protection on early warning and response stakeholders have held a meeting to assess the effectiveness of the alert system. They also identified the gaps that need to be addressed and make the system more effective to ensure that the raised cases of violation of children rights are properly handled.
The meeting brought together stakeholders from police, NGAO team and children officers drawn from Matayos, Teso South and Teso Central Sub counties under the Linda Mtoto project from the Free Pentecostal Fellowship in Kenya
Matayos Sub County children officer Euphrasia Agala the system has played a big role in ensuring timely and faster response to the violation cases.
“The system has helped people in the community to report cases immediately. When they come across the issue of child violation, it is escalated through the platform they have created on sms and it reaches all security agencies within the subcounty.” She said.
Agala further added that as with any system, challenges are always there but the assessment will help to make it more effective through bridging the existing gaps.
“If there is any gap when addressing the cases reported, the meeting helps in sorting out any cases that are pending or have not been attended on. This works to ensure there is a smooth flow of responding to all child protection issues.” She said.
She also indicated the importance of including more stakeholders to child protection, indicating that the numbers of violation of these rights are high in the county.
“Child protection cannot be handled by one office and that’s why there is a collective workmanship of different stakeholders from other departments. When partners come together, they help us to have a joint effort in addressing issues together with finding solutions to the existing gaps.” She said.
Victor Rotich from the Linda Mtoto project said their monitors have played a big role in ensuring that the cases in communities have been reported.
“We have been able to review all the cases that were reported by our monitors and see how we can improve our system which has been giving alerts on child violations to the children officers and security team. We have agreed to work on the content of the alert message shared which we are going to work on” he said.
Rotich further stated the commitment of the NGAO team in ensuring that they play a role of sensitization at the community level to ensure people get enough knowledge on children rights.
“The local administration has agreed to help in addressing the challenges experienced at the community level before escalating and sensitizing the community to have enough knowledge. The responders have also agreed to swiftly attend to the raised issues by the monitors from the ground and be the ambassadors of children rights protection.” He said
Patricia Atyang, special education teacher took an opportunity to address the challenges that children with special needs experience in the community.
“There is low enrollment of children with disabilities while there are many children in our community. The community is hiding these children at home while there are schools and teachers to attend to them. We need to create more awareness so that these children can be brought to schools and enjoy their right to education.” She said
She also called on more stakeholders to help in addressing the challenges of children with special needs adding that they are able to do everything when their needs are well attended to.
“Most of these children come from families that are more vulnerable. When they are going to school, most of them go to boarding school but at times, they lack even the personal effects to use. We are calling for wellwishers to help these children and to have programs that address their needs too.” She said.
