Principal Secretary (PS) for Children Services Carren Achieng Ageng’o, has commissioned a one-stop child protection centre in Kinango sub county of Kwale to provide shelter and psychological support for children facing abandonment, abuse and neglect.
PS Ageng’o said the opening of the new shelter at the Kinango police station headquarters marks a major milestone in the national government’s efforts to strengthen child protection mechanisms and combat gender-based violence in communities.
She said the new state-of-the-art centre will be providing rescued children with food, health care, psychosocial and emotional support.
Ageng’o said the facility, constructed through a partnership between World Vision Kenya, the National Government, and the Kwale County Government and the local community, will serve as a safe haven for children in need of care and protection, as well as those in conflict with the law.
She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that every police station in the country provides a safe and child-friendly environment.
The PS stressed on the urgent need for robust systems to be in place to protect children from abuse, neglect, exploitation, child marriage, trafficking and unsafe care arrangements.
She said the new facility aims to provide a safe, child-friendly space for rescue, counseling and temporary shelter for children in need of protection.
“The new centre will enhance coordinated efforts between law enforcement, social workers and community-based child protection structures to ensure children rights and welfare are upheld,” she said.
Ageng’o thanked the World Vision and Kwale county government and other stakeholders who made the establishment of the child centre possible.
She underscored the need to create more safe havens for children and women who face abuse and exploitation.
The PS was accompanied by Kwale Deputy Governor Chirema Kombo and World Vision Kenya National Director Gilbert Kamanga and the Director for Children and Gender Protection Unit in the National Police Service (NPS) Commissioner Dolly Onyango.
The ceremony was also attended by representatives from the civil society members, community leaders, and students all united in the shared vision of building a Kenya where every child is safe, valued, and protected.
Ageng’o noted that the protection of children from abuse is not the sole responsibility of one state institution or actor but a collective moral imperative.
She commended the collaborative approach between government agencies and development partners stating that every child deserves protection, dignity and a chance to thrive in a safe and secure environment.
She warned that the government will severely sanction any form of maltreatment, molestation or abuse of children either by an individual or institution.
“Children are the future of every nation and hence they need to grow into a safe and healthy environment and function effectively in society,” she said.
The PS called for sustained sensitization and awareness creation campaigns to realize the dream of a violent free society.
Deputy Governor Kombo decried that children continue to be exposed to different forms of abuses and violations of their rights mostly from people trusted either by the child or parents or guardians.
Kombo urged area residents to report child abuse, neglect and exploitation cases to the authorities for action.
He said the devolved government has opened a Gender Based Violence Recovery Unit at the Kwale County Referral Hospital noting that the establishment of the unit is because of so many unattended gender-based violence cases across the coastal county.
The new one-stop recovery centre is situated at the Kwale County Referral Hospital and provides 24-hour care to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
The DG decried that reporting of sexual and gender-based offenses at the community level was still low and underscored the need to create awareness of gender-based violence.
He declared zero tolerance for all forms of maltreatment and abuse against children in Kwale to raise children who grow into responsible adults.
Mr Kamanga said World Visions Kenya will continue to support initiatives that safeguard children from abuse including sexual abuse. neglect and exploitation.
He said World Vision Kenya will be collaborating with the NPS and the county governments in expanding child protection services across the country.
“We are working with all the stakeholders to strengthen community-based child protection systems across the country,” he said.
by Hussein Abdullahi
