The High Road to Protecting Child Rights
Guinea is a land of geographic and cultural diversity. Nestled between six neighbours on the coast of West Africa, it reaches from the Atlantic Ocean across breathtaking mountains, plateaus and forests, to the Sahel desert. More than twenty languages are spoken by its more than thirteen million inhabitants. Conakry - the bustling capital of Guinea - has a population of two million, accounting for more than 15% of the total population of the country.
Children, girls and boys represent just over half of the entire country's population. These young ones are disproportionately affected by risk factors such as climate change, demographic change, socioeconomic exclusion, humanitarian crises and harmful social norms. Although communities have attempted to adapt locally, build resilience and maintain social cohesion, this context is challenging. In all aspects of their lives, children depend on stable, functioning protection systems to address and respond in defence of their rights.
“Since 1984, UNICEF has worked daily alongside the Government of Guinea to respond holistically to the needs of children and promote their rights and well-being. We must leave no child behind in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. We must remain mobilized, committed, creative and ambitious for the children of Guinea".
Félix Ackebo, UNICEF Representative in Guinea.
In the picture, Mme Aicha Nanette Conde, the Ministry of Women Promotion, Child Protection and vulnerable Persons of Guinea and Mr. Felix Ackebo, UNICEF Representative in Guinea, Mariame Diallo, the President of Child Parliament of Guinea, along with other personalities attending the ceremony. ©UNICEF, 2023
One great example of this is the work being done to strengthen child protection systems. This past June 2023, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Promotion of Women and Children, with the support of European Union, UNICEF Guinea, and all child protection stakeholders, officially launched Primero/CPIMS+ Guinée.
Back in 2021, the Guinean government requested UNICEF's support to harmonize case management tools. The Ministry, UNICEF, and partners established a Case Management Taskforce to lead the work and prepare the rollout of CPIMS+. By 2022, case management tools were developed and more than twenty trainers from Child Protection Directorates from the Ministry and partners Terre des Hommes, SOS-Villages d’enfants, CANEPE, Sabou Guinee, Memes Droits pour Tous, la COLTE were trained. That's a big scale-up in a short time.
In October 2022, an MoU was signed between UNICEF and the Ministry for the rollout of CPIMS+. UNICEF supported the government in the development of CPIMS+, and comprehensive tests were carried out before the June launch by the Minister, which took place during the celebration of the Day of the African Child. A fitting way to launch to new system!
By 2023, the objective is that all six of the communal social services in Conakry will be using CPIMS+ to support their case management. It's an ambitious plan and a worthy one. All eyes are on the capital. Going live is just the first step. The CPIMS+ is designed to support case workers and service providers in their day-to-day efforts to bring better support to vulnerable children.
EVERY CHILD DESERVES PROTECTION.
PROTECTION COMES FROM SERVICES.
SERVICES NEED TO BE STRENGTHENED.
STRONG SERVICES = SAFER LIVES FOR CHILDREN.