OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe donates equipment and clothing to the Reception Referral Centre for Minors
The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe donated winter clothing, table games, sports equipment as well as a refrigerator and a professional oven to the Reception Referral Centre for Minors on 21 February 2018 in Dushanbe.
The Reception Referral Centre for Minors is operated by the Service for the Prevention of Offences amongst Youth and Minors and operates under the Interior Ministry of Tajikistan.
The Reception Referral Centre for Minors accommodates children who are homeless, orphaned, runaway or delinquent, and young people at risk. The age of residents ranges from 3 to 18 years. The Centre provides medical assessment, first aid and psychological assistance within the first 24 hours of arrival. The residents are then re-directed to various institutions or facilities, depending upon the specific circumstances of each case.
A needs assessment conducted by the Interior Ministry revealed that the Centre required various essential appliances and that the young residents need basic winter clothing. The donated items will make it possible for the Centre to provide the residents with an improved basic living standard.
“The Programme Office in Dushanbe is glad to contribute to the improvement of youth accommodations at the Reception Referral Centre for Minors, which advances the objectives of the 2017-2021 National Action Plan on Juvenile Justice Sector Reform regarding conditions of juvenile detention facilities,” said Ambassador Tuula Yrjölä, Head of the OSCE Programme Office. “We hope that this co-operation between the Office and the Ministry will continue. The donation is only part of our support and we also want to provide help with strengthening the capacity of the justice system to incorporate child development principles and to implement children’s rights standards.”
Major-General of Militia Umarzoda Ikrom, Deputy Minister of Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry said: “I am sure that the donated items will serve to improve the living conditions of the juveniles in the Reception Referral Centre for Minors. We are aimed at constructive co-operation not only in the fight against crime, but also in the humanitarian sphere, and we thank you for caring about vulnerable groups and contributing to their wellbeing.”
The donation was made at the request of the Service for the Prevention of Offences amongst Youth and Minors. The OSCE’s support is provided within the framework of co-operation between the Programme Office in Dushanbe and the Interior Ministry to support police reform.