IOM, in collaboration with UNICEF, IRC and local NGO Samu Social has conducted a training for 22 Malian officials on child protection in emergencies.
The training included tracing and family reunification in emergency situations, psychosocial first aid, communication with children in the aftermath of violence, data protection and confidentiality.
Participants were drawn from the Bamako district field staff of the Direction Nationale du Développement Social (DNDS) and the Direction Nationale de la Promotion de l’Enfant et de la Femme (DNPEF).
As part of the training, participants were briefed on IOM’s child protection activities in response to the complex crisis in Mali and introduced to a newly established child protection referral system led by IOM in Bamako district, implemented in close cooperation with Samu Social and UNICEF.
IOM, as regional lead for the Inter-Agency Child Protection Info Management System in Bamako, is working on a daily basis with DNDS, DNPEF, Samu Social and UNICEF to identify, document, refer, assist and follow-up on the most vulnerable children affected by the Malian crisis.
They include unaccompanied and separated children (UASC), the internally displaced, former UASC who have been reunified with their families, and some vulnerable former UASC who recently reached 18.
Many children who fled the conflict in the North are now living in harsh conditions in the capital, often in the care of relatives or community members or religious teachers (Marabouts.) Others are living on their own. Far from their homes, without the support of their families and with no resources, many of them are at risk of abuse, exploitation and trafficking.
To date, IOM has identified and documented 84 vulnerable children, including 48 girls. The identification process, which is conducted in cooperation with the Malian authorities and social partners, is on-going.
Following the outbreak of the Malian crisis in 2012, IOM’s protection unit developed several interventions throughout the country. These include psychosocial activities for vulnerable internally displaced people, rapid evaluations, emergency referrals and direct assistance for the most vulnerable.
IOM’s protection work in Mali is supported through funding from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance (AECID).
For more information, please contact Agnès Tillinac at IOM Bamako, Tel: +223 90 50 00 06, Email: atillinac@iom.int.