Advocacy Visit to the Baale of Kembiri Community, Okoko.
As part of the implementation of the Protect Child Domestic Workers from Maltreatment Project, DEVATOP Centre for Africa Development paid an advocacy visit to the Palace of the Baale of Kembiri Community, Okoko, to strengthen collaboration with traditional leadership in advancing child protection.
The advocacy visit was aimed at introducing the organisation and the project to the traditional institution, presenting its objectives and planned activities, and seeking the Baale’s support in promoting community ownership and active participation throughout the implementation of the project.
During the engagement, the project team discussed the prevalence and impact of the abuse and exploitation of child domestic workers, highlighting the urgent need for collective community action to address the issue. The team emphasized the vital role traditional leaders play in safeguarding children and fostering an environment where every child is protected from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
The Baale was encouraged to mobilize community members to participate in project activities, support community sensitization efforts, promote positive social norms that protect children, and help disseminate key child protection messages across the community. The team also highlighted the importance of increasing awareness of available reporting and referral mechanisms to ensure that cases of child abuse, exploitation, and maltreatment are reported promptly and appropriate support is provided to survivors. The advocacy visit further strengthened collaboration between DEVATOP Centre for Africa Development and the traditional institution, reinforcing the Baale’s role as a key stakeholder in advancing child protection within Kembiri Community.
The engagement also laid a strong foundation for sustained collaboration with traditional leaders and other community stakeholders to strengthen community-based child protection systems, promote positive behavioural change, and encourage the timely reporting and response to child protection concerns throughout the implementation of the project.
