Gambia police launches nationwide training on child trafficking awareness
By Sulayman Waan
The Gambia Police Force (GPF), through its Gender and Child Welfare Unit, in partnership with the OHCHR PAPEV Project, has completed the first phase of a nationwide training and sensitization program in the Upper River Region (URR).
The three-day training, aimed at building the capacity of police border officials and raising community awareness on child smuggling and trafficking. It targeted 30 participants from various stakeholders, including the GPF, sister security institutions, car park heads, market representatives, Community Child Protection Committees and Social Welfare Services.
The program was opened by representatives of the Governor of the region, Mr. Musa Conteh and the Regional Police Commissioner’s Office, Chief of Operations Ismaila Badjie, who emphasized the importance of such training in URR, a densely populated region with active border crossings.
Speaking on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, Supt. Badjie thanked the OHCHR through the PAPEV Project for their support and urged participants to collaborate in combating cross-border crimes, especially child trafficking.
The training activities are facilitated by the Gender and Child Welfare Unit, GPF Prosecution and Legal Affairs Unit, NAATIP, and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare. It also includes school sensitizations, radio programs, and community engagement.
The PAPEV Project, initiated by OHCHR in 2019, supports ECOWAS states in achieving SDGs 4, 5, and 16 by enhancing national child protection systems.
The project is implemented in The Gambia by the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Welfare.
The training targets 90 police border officials and community members nationwide, with the next phases scheduled for Lower River Region (LRR) and North Bank Region (NBR) in the coming weeks.
SW/COB/21/03/25
