By Peter Duru,

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, in collaboration with the Benue State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, BSMWASW, have commenced the phased training of 330 Community-Based Child Protection Structures, CBCPS, in Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps and host communities in the state.

Facilitated by JASPI Health and Gender Development Initiative, the training commenced at the Mega IDPs camp, Mbayongo, on Makurdi-Guma road with about 50 trainees who are expected to go back and cascade the training in the camp and host community.

Speaking on the initiative, the Child Protection Manager, UNICEF Abuja Office, Mona Aika, said the essence of the training
was to provide the necessary knowledge and skills to the community members to be the eyes and the ears, to provide services when it comes to Child Protection.

She said: “We are here at IDP Mega Camp, Mbayongo to join the community members that have been identified, to be Community Child Protection Structures to be part of the Child Based Child Protection Structure which has been identified to support the service provision when it comes to child protection, the prevention and response to violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation to any child protection concern that may arise from the community.

“We are also here because UNICEF is working and supporting the state government. We are particularly very thankful to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare who has opened her arms for us in Benue state starting off here at the Mega Camp to receive this support.

“And this community structure that is in place that is receiving the training will then be able to link up with the auxiliary workers that are already in place and are already identified to provide holistic services. Also at the state level there is a structure and position called the Social Welfare Officers who are now the recognised professionals to provide child protection services.

“So this is really going to the lower level of any given community to ensure that services are provided closer to the households, closer to the people, and closer to the children.”

She explained further that “these trainings are being done in five IDPs camps and they are being done in phases, the aim is to reach all the 13 camps that are in place in Benue state and also the host communities because we are strengthening child protection systems to ensure that these services are available across the board and not just in the IDPs camp setting.

“So today we have around 40 community members that are part of the community based child protection structure that has been set-up and also 10 members from the host community have joined us. This will be replicated across the IDPs camps and the aim is to reach all the LGAs to have the services available for children.

“This structure that we are training will rollout and cascade the training. 330 Community-Based Child Protection Structures will be trained in a phased approach, starting with the first batch today.”

Speaking, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Anna Itodo-Benjamin represented by the Orphan and Vulnerable Children Officer, in the Ministry, Mr. Fidelis Alumunku said “the idea around the project is to enlighten our community people and those in camp about Child Protection process.

“In case there is a child protection concern, how are they going to take it from one point to the other, and and the kind of Child Protection issues they can solve in the camp and the ones they can take to the Ministry, the police and other stakeholders, that is part of the training. It is also to educate them on the importance of protecting a child.”

On her part, the Executive Director of JASPI, Henrietta Doosuurshater who explained that the training sessions was structured to hold within the IDP camps and the host communities noted that “the CBCPS representatives will be trained on prevention and response on issues of child protection including child abuse, early marriage, neglect, among others.”

According to her those targeted for the training from the camp included the camp leadership, leaders of educational and religious institutions, health care workers, camp security among others. While the host community would have representatives of traditional leaders educational institution, community youth, women and men groups, local security, health care workers, among others.

Also, the Mega IDP Camp Manager, Mr. Mark Terver who lauded UNICEF, the Ministry of Women Affairs and JASPI for the intervention said the structure “will be responsible for handling child protection issues that would be encountered in the camp.

“For today, 47 persons have been trained 20 men and 20 women on the side of community based structure and child protection structure while on the auxiliary side we have seven.”

One of the beneficiaries, elated Mrs. Louisa Awunde from the Welfare Quarters Unit of the camp and a block leader said she  learnt how to handle children “even if they are not mine, l learnt that I should take every child I see as my own. And when I get back to my unit, I will gather my block members and teach them what I learnt today.”