For the past 6 years, Stairway has been into active collaboration with the Philippine National Police through several joint activities aiming to assist the PNP towards being more responsive to the plight of children victims.
The Child Friendly Spaces project was officially launched January 5, 2011 at the National Capital Region Headquarters in the presence of most of the directors of the Metro Manila police districts. The project aims to transform a number of police stations in Metro Manila in order to provide children and women victims a more conducive space to facilitate proper disclosures. This entails redesigning rooms and providing materials such as toys, books, crayons, etc. Click here to view images
The project was officially launched on Jan. 5, at the National Capital Region Women and Children’s Police Desk at Camp Bagong Diwa. Present during the said ceremonies were Lars Jorgensen, executive director of Stairway, PSSUPT THERESA ANN D. CID, Officer-in-Charge Women and Children Protection Center, NICANOR A. BARTOLOME, PhD/CSEE Police Director Regional Director, NCRPO, ATTY. CLARENCE V. GUINTO, Police Senior Superintendent Acting Chief, HRAO Human Rights Affair Office, PSI LEAH DR BARRIOS, Chief, WCPD-NCRPO and all the Police Station Commanders and District Directors of Metro Manila Police Office.
Also present were staff and volunteers from De La Salle University Manila, Center for Social Action and Responsibility, who have initiated a donation drive to collect materials such as toys to be used for these Child Friendly Spaces, as well as recruit student volunteers to help in the transformation of these police spaces.
Aside from the physical transformation, Stairway shall also provide capacity building sessions for the Women police officers in order to teach them how to fully maximize the use of the transformed child friendly spaces.
It is hoped that through this project, women police officers would take greater pride in the noble work they are doing serving children who are victims of abuses.
The project will initially cover 15 stations in Metro Manila for 2011.