Tuesday August 31, 2021
The Minister of Women and Human rights Development of the FGS, Hanifa Mohamed Ibrahim, speaking about the International Day of the African Child & importance of educating Somali Children on June 16, 2021. CREDIT: SNTV
MOGADISHU-- Somalia and the UN children's fund (UNICEF) on Monday launched an online Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS+) to enhance the protection of the most vulnerable children in Somalia.
Hanifa M. Ibrahim, Somali Minister of Women and Human Rights Development said the CPIMS+ will strengthen their collective ability to identify these children, provide them with lifesaving services, and protect them from exploitation and abuse.
"Today, we are taking a crucial step towards keeping the extremely vulnerable children - including children living in the streets, child survivors of sexual violence, children in conflict with the law, abandoned babies, and children without primary caregivers - in our country safe," Ibrahim said in a joint statement issued in Mogadishu.
The CPIMS+ provides intuitive digital forms for child protection workers to assist with documenting case management processes, from identification and registration to assessment, case planning, referrals and transfers, and case closure. Its key features will help child protection workers reach children with vital protection and support.
These features include case-specific data on individual children stored in a confidential cloud-based system, up-to-date referral information for caseworkers and partner agencies in the police, clinical, justice, social services sectors, and case management tools to manage individual cases and facilitate children's access to quality social services.
UNICEF says 1.8 million children are at risk of violence, abuse and neglect in Somalia due to the ongoing conflict, recurring climatic shocks, poverty, and the socioeconomic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Violence prevention and response services remain disrupted and many parents and caregivers are under increasing financial strain and at risk of losing their jobs.
The ministry said it worked together with UNICEF and child protection partners to customize and deploy the new information management system, an important platform for professional social workers to coordinate social, legal, clinical, and psychosocial services for the children in need.
Mohamed Ayoya, UNICEF Somalia Representative said the launch of CPMIS+ represents a key milestone in the government's efforts to provide accountable and professional social services and it will help to ensure no child, even in the most challenging circumstances, is left behind.
He said more than 30 partners, consisting of UN agencies and local NGOs, have subscribed to the management system.