Senegal: Child protection, partners remobilize to strengthen the fight against abuse

Dakar, March 11, 2022: Under the leadership of the Senegalese Ministry of Justice, the members of the Technical Monitoring Committee and then the members of the National Steering Committee (NSC) of the Support Project for the Protection of Child Victims of Human Rights Violations (PAPEV) met on March 10 and 11, 2022 respectively.

Initiated by the Regional Office for West Africa of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR/WARO), in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and with the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), the PAPEV aims to support the efforts made by the Government of Senegal to strengthen the child protection system. The meeting during which the 2021 annual report of the PAPEV at the regional level and in Senegal was shared, not only allowed participants to learn about the performance achieved and the difficulties encountered in the implementation of the PAPEV for the year 2021; but also to develop and update the annual work plan for Senegal in 2022.

Launched in 2019, the PAPEV, which is distinguished by its integrated dimension, taking in consideration child protection issues in the sub-region, intervenes in Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger and Senegal. The OHCHR regional representative, Mr Andrea Ori, did not fail to emphasize this aspect in his remarks: “The support granted to the reception centers has largely contributed to facilitating access to protection services for child victims of violations of their rights. In addition, the support to the family reintegration of nearly 125 children in Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau from Senegal in collaboration with ECOWAS and the West African Child Protection Network perfectly illustrates, alongside other achievements, the consolidation of the child protection system in the sub-region.”

Implemented in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic, the PAPEV has also made it possible to take care of street children whose vulnerability was exacerbated by the restrictive measures aimed at containing the virus. Ms. Eugenia PISANI, Gender and Human Rights Program Officer, on behalf of the Director of ACIS, Marco Falcone, emphasized this aspect by indicating that: “the COVID 19 pandemic that affected us has led to significant changes in the planning and implementation of project activities”. She recalled that since its launch in October 2019, “the project has supported nearly 47 care structures located in beneficiary countries and, during the COVID 19 pandemic, the removal of more than 5,000 children from the street, including 175 from neighbouring countries.

Ms. Aïssé TALL, Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice, congratulated the OHCHR and all the partners for their constant and decisive support in the implementation of the project.