Altogether, twenty people participated in a workshop held for members of the Joint Technical Working Group (GTTC) on the implementation mechanism for the Action Plan on child protection in the Ituri province, from Thursday, June 11, 2020 to Friday, June 12, at MONUSCO Conference Room in Bunia.

The Provincial Commissioner for Gender, Family and Children, also Coordinator of the GTTC, the different security services (FARDC, PNC and ANR) and state services, UNICEF as well as local and international NGOs were among the participants to the workshop.

Several objectives were pursued: first, to revitalize the GTTC, through conducting taking stock of the child protection situation in Ituri; then, training the members of the GTTC on the Action Plan and on the 6 gross violations of the children's rights, which will lead to the development of the provincial roadmap presenting the main activities in terms of prevention, the response, the fight against impunity and the separation of the children victims of serious violations.

"This workshop is important for several reasons: it will allow us to come up with a roadmap with the different activities and thereby to know what we shall do, for example with the children who have left Codeco, those who have left the FRPI or the different Mai-Maï groups in Mambasa or in Irumu”, said Jean Muzama Malonga, head of the Child Protection Section in MONUSCO/Bunia.

He said this Working Strategy Document will state the four key points contained in the Action Plan: namely, Separating the children, Finding a response for the children through, for example, psycho-social care, organizing activities relating to prevention along with the authorities, the traditional leaders, the community leaders, etc .

“In a nutshell our intent is to prevent non-recruitment and non-commission of the abuses on the children and lastly, fighting impunity which would imply working with the magistrates in exploring how to prosecute those who commit those violations ” , he explained.