ADVOCACY AND INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT

Benin

Strengthening Of Ocpm Services And Extending Them To Other Departments

Our Committed Partners

“For the organisation that I manage and for myself, 2015 was a year of progress thanks to the unwavering support of the IBCR and UNICEF […] Thank you for swiftness and your perseverance in attaining set goals: developing standard operating procedures for protecting children in Benin, preparing a specialised training toolkit for the OCPM and its affiliates, and developing a plan to expand the OCPM’s services in other departments in Benin

BRIEF PROJECT HISTORY: Since its creation in 2008 by the government of Benin, the Office central de protection des mineurs, de la famille et de la répression de la traite des êtres humains (OCPM or Central Bureau for the Protection of Minors and Families and the Prevention Human Trafficking) headquartered in Cotonou, has accomplished significant work for the protection of children, although some challenges remain. These challenges have hindered the establishment of regional offices, the proper functioning of the organisation, and its capacity to effectively respond to Benin’s child protection needs. Following several highlevel meetings, the Government of Benin launched a project to expand and strengthen the services provided by the OCPM. The project aims at training OCPM personnel and establishing child and family protection support units in existing police stations and constable brigades. The project will also lead to the establishment of regional offices in Parakou and Zakpota. Officially launched in 2014, with technical and financial support from UNICEF and the IBCR, the project aims at improving the child protection system in Benin. After a first mission carried out in December 2014, it was decided that support for the drafting of OCPM specifications was also required in order to properly carry out other project activities. The goals of the project were thus expanded in order to provide further assistance for the improvement of the OCPM’s services

Thanks to these tools, the children of Benin will be better supported and OCPM agents will be more professional than ever I congratulate you for your professionalism and your dedication ”

GOALS:

Strengthen the OCPM’s internal operations by providing assistance for the drafting and validation of its specifications

Develop and validate standard operating procedures for child protection services, police stations and constable brigades

Prepare a practical training toolkit on children’s rights, specifically designed for the OCPM, police officers and constables

Develop and validate a strategic plan for the expansion of OCPM’s services

Produce and validate a two-year action plan for the expansion of OCPM’s services, including the technical, financial and material aspects for both regions

PARTNERS: OCPM, UNICEF, National Police and Constable General Directorate, Department of Families, Social Affairs, National Solidarity, the Disabled and the Elderly, Department of the Interior, Public Security and Religious Affairs, Department of Justice, Legislation and Human Rights, and key civil society players involved in the child protection system

ACHIEVEMENTS:

In addition to several workshops, the project’s biggest achievements include:

Specifications developed and validated by the OCPM

Standard operating procedures for protecting children validated by key players

Proposed strategy to expand the OCPM’s services and proposed twoyear action plan for these services presented to the project’s steering committee

Training toolkit developed and presented to the steering committee

In 2015, three missions were also carried out in Benin