Mogadishu (HOL) – Somali has launched an innovative program to identify and protect vulnerable children on Tuesday.
The Federal Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development is working with UNICEF to launch the Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS+) to protect the over 1.8 million children at risk of violence and abuse due to civil conflict, climatic shock and extreme poverty.
“Today, we’re taking a crucial step towards keeping the extremely vulnerable children – including children living in the streets, child survivors of sexual violence, children in conflict with the law, abandoned babies, and children without primary caregivers – in our country safe. The CPIMS+ will strengthen our collective ability to identify these children, provide them with lifesaving services, and protect them from exploitation and abuse,” said Somalia’s Minister of Women and Human Rights Development, Hanifa M. Ibrahim.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated already existing problems like access to medical and educational services that remain limited. In addition, many parents and primary caregivers are under intense financial pressure.
The ministry says that the new database will provide professional aid and social workers a plethora of information to glean from. Caseworkers can sort through a child’s identification, registration information, preliminary assessment, case planning, referrals and transfers. CPMIS+ will store all of the case-specific data in a confidential cloud-based system.
“The adoption of innovative technologies provides a significant opportunity for safeguarding children in Somalia,” said UNICEF Representative in Somalia, Mohamed Ayoya. “The launch of CPMIS+ represents another key milestone in the Government’s efforts to provide accountable and professional social services, and it will help to ensure no child, even in the most challenging circumstances, is left behind.”
More than 30 partners, consisting of UN agencies and local NGOs, have subscribed to the CPIMS+. The database will cover 190 users covering an estimated caseload of 25,000 children at risk in Somalia.
The CPIMS was initially designed for family tracing and reunification in emergencies. It was redesigned in 2009 to support all areas of child protection, including systems strengthening in non-emergency settings. It was redeveloped once again in 2014 as part of the ‘next generation’ web-based CPIMS+.
