The United States Embassy recently funded the second Community Policing Youth Camp in Tajikistan with the theme “Youth for Safer Communities.” Thirty-nine youth leaders aged fourteen to twenty, and six police officers from Rasht, Jirgatol, Farkhor, Kumsangir, Bobojon Ghafurov, and Qairoqqum participated.
The Embassy’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Office and its implementing partner, the Emergence Group, have worked to build the capacity of Community Policing Partnership Teams through youth camps. These camps further strengthen partnerships between youth and police, develop community policing knowledge and skills, and identify and develop responses to common youth problems.
The camp program included sessions on partnerships and collaborative problem-solving as well as interactive teambuilding activities. Youth from the Qurghonteppa-based NGO “Ghamkhori” performed at the camp. The youth theatre used an arts-based approach to challenge participants to find solutions to the interrelated problems of lack of access to education, family violence, trafficking-in-persons and drug abuse. Participants also created a model representing their vision for a safer community and worked on a project to address youth-related problems. Deputy Chief of Mission Sarah Penhune attended this session. “From your enthusiasm, we can be confident that your efforts will bring good results and your problem-solving projects will be successful”, she said to young people after their presentations. A young woman from Farkhor said “Together we have the power to change our communities; we must develop our partnerships with the police to do so.”
The U.S. Government is committed to supporting Tajikistan’s law enforcement agencies and justice sector institutions and will continue to collaborate with the Government of Tajikistan to ensure safety and security for all citizens. Since 2003, the U.S. Embassy’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement program has provided more than $52 million to support security and justice for the people of Tajikistan.
