The First Lady, Dominique Ouattara has inaugurated the reception center for children in distress of Soubré. The inauguration ceremony of this center took place in the compound of the said structure, on Thursday, June 07, 2018, in the presence of Mr. Jean-Claude Kouassi, Minister of Employment and Social Protection, Chairman of the Interministerial Committee of the fight against trafficking, exploitation and child labor (CIM), Mrs Mariatou Koné, Minister of Family, Child Protection and Solidarity and Vice-President of the CIM, representatives of the institutions and NGOs engaged in the fight against child labor and Soubré populations.
Built by the Children of Africa Foundation, this center is the first of three (03) that Mrs. Dominique Ouattara’s NGO has planned to build in Soubré, Bouaké and Ferkéssédougou. Its implementation provides an adequate response to the question of the lack of a transit and supervision structure for child victims of trafficking and exploitation in Côte d’Ivoire before their integration into their family of origin. Today, it is now possible to properly take the children torn from the hands of traffickers.
After the Mother-Child Hospital, the realization of this first reception center for child victims of trafficking and exploitation of Soubré comes on the one hand a boost to the fight against child labor in this area of strong cocoa production, and on the other hand, it shows the importance of the commitment of Mrs. Dominique Ouattara in her fight for the improvement of life and the defense of children’s rights.
A commitment translated by Mrs. Dominique Ouattara, President of Children of Africa Foundation, during her speech, through the enumeration of the measures taken for the remediation of the phenomenon of trafficking, exploitation and child labor. The President of the NSC also wished to highlight the importance and the positive impact of the realization of this reception center on the fight against the worst forms of child labor.
“We also looked at protection and assistance, which is another important focus. Indeed, it was essential to be able to safely take care of children who had been trafficked and exploited once they had been snatched from traffickers. Achieving this objective necessarily involved the construction of a reception center adapted to social reintegration and the care of child victims. The aim is to promote their psychological supervision and their reintegration into the family unit, “she said. In addition, the First Lady has appealed to partners committed to the fight against child labor to accentuate the fight against this phenomenon. “For the well-being and fulfillment of our children, no sacrifice is too big, so I would like to solemnly appeal to all our partners, so that efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor in our country, be emphasized, “she said. For the wife of the Head of State, this means improving access to school for all children living in Côte d’Ivoire and improving the living conditions of producers.
The distressed Children’s Reception Center of Soubré was built on a plot of one hectare. It offers a capacity of 64 beds in total, two dormitories of 32 beds for girls, and two dormitories of 32 beds for boys. It also has executive offices, a health center, as well as several classrooms and training workshops. The children also have a multimedia room, a library, a canteen, a multipurpose room and a sports field. A guided tour of the center ended the inauguration ceremony.
