Malawi Police Service has trained its officers in Nsanje in laws that protect the rights of children to enable them protect children from abuse.
National Police child protection officer Brown Ngalu said yesterday during the training in Nsanje that officers underwent refresher courses on child protection laws.
He said: “We are empowering officers to protect the rights of children in 10 districts, including Nsanje where government is implementing the Social Protection for Gender Empowerment and Resilience [SP-Gear] Project also known as Amayi Titukuke Project funded by Unicef.
“Our officers should be conversant with laws that protect children.”
South East Regional community policing coordinator Kingsley Mvuthe said child protection is critical because the region has a huge population of children; hence, drilling police officers to know how to handle child protection and child justice.
One of the participants, Sergeant Cecilia Nakoma from the Department of Prosecution said she learned new things on how to handle child justice issues.
Nsanje Police Station general duties officer Zwowanji Mtunduwatha said the lessons came at a time the district just witnessed mob justice on people falsely accused of causing private parts of others to disappear through alleged witchcraft.
The Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare is implementing the three-year SP-Gear project in Nsanje, Chikwawa, Zomba, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Ntcheu, Balaka, Mzimba South and Mzimba North.
