Police in Salima say they will not spare anyone breaching children’s right to education by forcing them into marriage.
The police station’s child protection officer Grace Mizere said this in an interview on the sidelines of the orientation of 30 health and social workers on child rights.
She said: “If anyone is found in breach of these children’s rights, the law will take its course and they will be arrested. These people being trained together with the police will be placed in strategic places so that anyone facing abuse can easily contact them.”
Mizere said the orientation was meant to equip the trainees with knowledge of child protection.
“We, as police, cannot work alone. So, these people will be working with us in fighting abuse in the area,” she said.
Salima Police Station organised the orientation through the Unicef-funded Safe Schools project aimed at ensuring that all school-going children access education.
One of the participants, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the project has helped to encourage girls who dropped out of school to return to class because of its emphasis on observance of child rights.
