West Pokot County has trained Children Protection Volunteers (CPVS) in a bid to protect children against any forms of violations.
This initiative has been taken due to the large number of children’s rights violations that occur especially in remote areas within the county where locals are either unwilling to report or are less informed about children’s rights.
The Department of Children’s Services in collaboration with World Vision Kenya took the initiative to train and empower CPVs from every ward with a huge percentage being drawn from Kasei and Sigor wards.
“We have trained 33 Children Protection Volunteers (CPVs) who are from all the 20 wards in West Pokot County and a good number from Karsei and Sigor on how to solve or channel child abuse cases,” stated West Pokot Children’s Officer Mr. Fredrick Nyatige.
Nyatige outlined that early marriages, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), neglect, and school dropouts are the many cases that mostly occur. “Like early marriages, neglect, FGM, and school dropout are the many cases occurring in the interior and we cannot trace them easily,” said the Children’s Officer.
He said that children’s rights violators in the border areas of West Pokot relocate to the neighbouring country Uganda once they realise that the government wants to pursue them adding that many cases go unreported.
Nyatige appealed to the community to collaborate with the trained CPVs as they perform their duties in protecting children against abuse. “I am calling upon the community members to support the volunteers to help in ending children’s rights violations in the region,” he appealed.
He revealed that children offices have been opened at sub counties of Alale and Kacheliba respectively to cut short the long distances travelled when locals are seeking services at the county headquarters in Kapenguria.
“We have other new officers who have been deployed to North Pokot and Kacheliba Sub Counties. Instead of the locals travelling to Kapenguria, they can get assistance at the Deputy County Commissioners’ offices in Alale and Kacheliba respectively,” said Nyatige.
He further urged the chiefs and their assistants to actively participate in the child protection campaign and also support the CPVs to unearth any child abuse cases in their areas.
The children’s officer lauded World Vision among other partners for the sponsoring the training noting that they have been on the forefront in supporting the marginalised communities.
Agnes Cheptoo, a beneficiary of the training thanked the government officers for the efforts they have put in to protect children.
“We thank the government officers who have been moving into the interior parts of the county to rescue children. We are going to support them because we have received adequate training,’’ she said.
Cheptoo asked World Vision and other NGOs to continue sponsoring the various projects to help eliminate harmful traditional cultural practices in the region.
Another CPV Albert Kemer expressed his disappointment about the severe effects of FGM saying the practice has seen so many girls drop of school, others contracting diseases and also losing their lives.
Kemer appealed to the government to beef up security in some areas prone to banditry attacks to enable the CPVs have a safe working environment.
By Richard Muhambe and Maurice Osore
