International Justice Mission (IJM), Bangladesh in collaboration with the Department of Social Services (DSS) organized a three-day training on ‘victim support services and management’ for 25 caregivers of the Child Development Centre (Girls) at Konabari in Gazipur district which concluded on Thursday.
The training was organized for caregivers as they know more about Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC), can identify CSEC victims and provide better services. It was organized under a strategic partnership signed between IJM Bangladesh and the DSS.
Md. Kamruzzaman, Director (Institution) of DSS attended the closing ceremony as the Chief Guest. Mohammad Borhan Uddin, Assistant Director, (Training and Rehabilitation Centre for Destitute Children, Konabari, Gazipur) presided over the closing ceremony.
Tania Tabassum, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development and Human Resource Management), Gazipur District; and Claire Wilkinson, Country Director of International Justice Mission (IJM), Bangladesh, were present as Special Guests. Mst. Tasnim Ferdausi, Superintendent (In charge) of the Centre, IJM Bangladesh staff; local journalists; among others were also present.
Chief Guest Md. Kamruzzaman, Director (Institution Branch), DSS, said, “Caregivers need to listen to the victim children and understand them. Only through the collective efforts of everyone involved can we help victimized children return to healthy and fulfilling lives. This three-day training organized by IJM Bangladesh will play a pivotal role in bringing positive change to the lives of every victimized child who comes to this center at Konabari.”
Claire Wilkinson, Country Director of IJM Bangladesh said, “The coordinated efforts of everyone involved in the process—including police, prosecutors, lawyers, caregivers, and all the service providers—can play an effective role in protecting victim children.”
Tania Tabassum, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development and Human Resource Management), Gazipur District, said, “Ensuring child protection and providing appropriate services to victims are extremely important.”
On behalf of the Gazipur District Administration, she thanked IJM Bangladesh for organizing the training on Victim Support Services and Management.”
The purpose of this training is to capacitate and build knowledge of service providers about CSEC as they can identify CSEC victims and provide appropriate services as all CSEC victims and traumatized children who come to this center may return home happy.
During the three-day training, various sessions included discussions and practical exercises on victim support services, its principles, support strategies for victims, trauma and its effects, strategies for understanding victims’ behaviors, survivors’ concerns, memory versus trauma, key techniques of interviewing victims, and types of questions to be asked during follow-up interviews.
Social Case Workers, Counsellors, Assistant Teachers, Trade Instructors, Embroidery Instructors, Computer Instructors, Child Protection Social Workers, Psychiatric Social Workers, Psychosocial Counsellors, Medical Assistants, Probation Officers, Nurses, and Junior Physical Instructors of Konabari Child Development Centre participated in the training.
The key focus areas of IJM activities are to strengthen the justice system to prevent the CSEC; providing technical support to authorities to bring the criminals to justice; assisting in rescue and rehabilitation of CSEC victims; and increasing the demand for child protection.
IJM aims to reduce CSEC in Bangladesh by 50 percent by 2030 and ensure the protection of 6 million children. To achieve this, IJM Bangladesh has been supporting the first responders, decision makers and policy makers as they can implement the laws and policies to prevent CSEC effectively.
The organization has been providing technical supports to the relevant law enforcement agencies, legal services to victim children, and post-rescue services for the protection of CSEC victims in Bangladesh.
Moreover, IJM has been working to increase the capacity of Bangladesh Police, public prosecutors, judges, social workers, and post-rescue service providers, and members of the Counter-Trafficking Committees.
The organization will implement activities in 11 districts under Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, and Mymensingh divisions.