Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The Police in The Gambia, in collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) through the PAPEV Project, has successfully completed the first phase of a nationwide training and sensitization campaign on child smuggling and trafficking in the Upper River Region (URR).

The three-day initiative aimed to strengthen the capacity of police border officials and enhance community awareness of child smuggling and trafficking. A total of 30 participants took part, including representatives from the Gambia Police Force (GPF), sister security institutions, car park heads, market representatives, Community Child Protection Committees, and Social Welfare Services.

The program was officially launched by representatives of the URR Governor, Musa Conteh, and the Regional Police Commissioner’s Office. Chief of Operations Ismaila Badjie emphasized the significance of such training in the region, highlighting URR’s high population density and its active border crossings as factors that necessitate increased vigilance against cross-border crimes.

Speaking on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, Superintendent Badjie expressed gratitude to OHCHR and the PAPEV Project for their support in tackling child trafficking. He called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to combat this pressing issue.

Facilitators of the training included experts from the GPF’s Gender and Child Welfare Unit, Prosecution and Legal Affairs Unit, the National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons (NAATIP), and the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Welfare. The program also extended beyond the training sessions, incorporating school sensitizations, radio discussions, and direct community engagement to amplify its impact.

The PAPEV Project, initiated by OHCHR in 2019, aims to strengthen child protection systems across ECOWAS states and aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4, 5, and 16. In The Gambia, the project is spearheaded by the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Welfare.

The training program, targeting 90 police border officials and community members nationwide, will continue in the Lower River Region (LRR) and North Bank Region (NBR) in the coming weeks.