Embassy of Japan donates child friendly police center to Shakawe community

The Government of Japan has donated a child friendly police center to Shakawe community. The donation is part of the embassy’s contribution towards end violence against children agenda spearheaded by the Government of Botswana and UNICEF.

“This project is timely and excellent because it has added value to ordinary police stations, paying special attention to children. It will provide safety and protection, especially for vulnerable children,” said H.E Mr. HOSHIYAMA Takashi, Ambassador of Japan to Botswana.

The main aim of the Child Friendly Centre is to create a conducive environment for reporting and responding to cases of violence against children (VAC). The center will be manned be police officers trained to handle children and VAC issues. The donation of the child friendly center has come at an appropriate time, as the second phase of E Seng Mo Ngwaneng campaign focuses on encouraging communities to report cases of violence against children to authorities including the police, social workers and Childline helpline.

The campaign, is a collaborative effort between Government and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), follows growing concern over increasing incidences of violence against children, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first phase of the campaign focused on raising awareness on the impact of sexual exploitation on children and called for all to play a role in ending SEA. “We are grateful to the Government of Japan for its continued support to Botswana.

The establishment of child friendly police stations will go a long in ensuring that children and their caregivers report cases of abuse in a safe and protective environment mended by trained officers,” said UNICEF Representative, Dr. Joan Matji. Japan and UNICEF have also partnered to provide high quality cold chain supplied and refrigerated vehicles to transport life-saving vaccines to different parts of the country.