DURATION: 5 Days
Deploying personnel trained in Child Protection has become an increasingly crucial element for UN Peace Operations. The mandates of UN peacekeeping missions have evolved to include the protection of children and all missions currently have a child protection mandate.
COURSE AIM:
The course is designed to prepare experienced Police Officers, who are expected to be deployed in UN POs key positions or SMEs, to properly acknowledge and address Child Protection issues.
The trainers introduce child protection concepts and provide basic knowledge on mission-specific situations that UN Police Officers will encounter. The sessions intend to promote a better understanding of missions’ child protection mandates and the role of other child protection actors in the mission and in the host country’s national child protection system. The overall training is based on exercises that encourage learners to consider their own behaviour towards children and their roles and responsibilities as UN Police Officers to successfully implement the child protection mandate.
PARTICIPANTS:
The target group is composed by a group of 25 experienced Police Officers (rank OF2-OF5), from national law enforcement organizations, who are going to be deployed as Police Officers in UN Peace Operations key positions or as SME (Gender/CP Advisors/Focal Points).
(It is requested, as a prerequisite, that selected participants must have followed a specific training on the United Nations Core Pre-Deployment Training Materials - CPTM; such course is possible to attend both, or in home Country - providing the related diploma - or at the CoESPU, with a 5-day-long-course, before the beginning of the GP Course).
COURSE SUBJECTS:
- be able to explain who is a child and why children are most at risk during armed conflict and in post-conflict situations;
- be able to describe the impact of conflict on children, including the six grave violations and other forms of violence／abuses against children;
- be aware of gender concerns and vulnerabilities of boys and girls during armed conflict;
- understand how legal obligations and mandate should guide the work of UN Police;
- be able to understand how the normative framework on child protection serves UN Police officers in fulfilling their mandates;
- know the UN Standards of Conduct applicable to all UN Personnel and guiding principles that govern interaction with children;
- understand the importance of systematically reporting on misconduct and know the different channels of reporting;
- know the zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, prohibition of child labor and the consequences for failing to adhere;
- understand coordination on child protection in UN peacekeeping missions including the role of the UN Police;
- understand the role of Child Protection Advisors (CPAs) and the UN Police Child Protection Focal Points;
- know how to identify and refer children’s cases to relevant actors within the child protection community;
- know how to contribute to the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) and how to report other violations of children’s rights;
- be able to articulate the responsibility of UN Police with regard to prevention and diversion in child protection and to plan and support prevention and diversion measures;
- be able to explain the key principles of international standards on juvenile justice with regards to arrest and detention;
- be able to advise host State police forces on the application of international standards;
- know the UN guidance and approach to interviewing children, to consequently adapt the advising and mentoring role to the host state police;
- be able to apply child friendly interviewing techniques when interacting with children as UN Police.
- be always able to act in the best interests of the child