Keywords: Children Protection
Department of Child Services, Ministry of Labour Social security and Services in collaboration with Plan International Kenya developed Vurugu Mapper, which is mobile application system helping in the tracking of cases of child abuse. The Vurugu Mapper uses mobile phones to provide customized simple forms to report cases of child abuse.
The message is then sent to the relevant government officer for action. The system is designed with a self-trigger and escalation Short Message Service (SMS) mechanism from one department to another whenever set time period lapses and a case log has not been updated with action. This continues until the case is closed.
The system also ensures the anonymity of the reporters and that information is fully captured and stored. The initiative strengthens child protection structures, systems and procedures at family, school, community and government level by filling the information gap. The Vurugu Mapper also boosts accountability in the child protection process while ensuring that the protection of children is enhanced.