Placido Hilukilwa
CHILDREN should be allowed to proceed through a police checkpoint only if properly documented and accompanied by their parents or guardians. This was said by Home Affairs Minister Albert Kawana during the inauguration ceremony of the upgraded Onhuno Road Traffic Checkpoint in the Ohangwena Region on Thursday.
Kawana added that Namibia has acceded to a number of international instruments such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Additionally, Namibia has its own law on child protection. Police officers manning the checkpoint at Onhuno and all other checkpoints in the country are, therefore, required to ensure that children are only allowed to proceed if they have proper documents and are accompanied by their parents or guardians.
“In the same vein,” he said, “transporters or drivers must ensure that children are allowed to get into vehicles only if they have proper documents in compliance with international requirements.”
According to Kawana, there will be penalties for transporters or drivers who do not comply with local and international requirements. He emphasized, “Namibia has an obligation to prevent human trafficking; therefore, we should ensure compliance.”
The Onhuno Road Traffic Checkpoint, recently upgraded at a cost of over N$8 million, is located on the B1 main road between Ondangwa and the Oshikango border post.
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