The national coordinator of Child Protection Alliance (CPA) in The Gambia, Lamin Fatty, has said that the current scope of child protection is very weak in the country, adding that the country does not have a "responsive mechanism" in place.

Mr. Fatty made these remarks in an interview with this medium at his Bakoteh office on Thursday. He said that recently the country has seen 82 children who died as a result of importing intoxicated drugs in the country. Fatty added that the Bilal incident where eight children died was a concern ,yet government hasn't issued a single statement.

"CPA's obligation is to hold the state into account and remind them of their obligations in aligning our nation laws to the international standards."

He continued that CPA is an alliance of about 36 member organisations and was founded in 2001. Since its inception, he said, CPA works in complementing government's efforts in raising awareness and building capacities of relevant stakeholders.

Answering questions on the missing of children in the country, the child rights activist stated that it has to be looked into objectively and that both government the parents have responsibility for the welfare of the children. He added that they have seen parents who are so negligent to the welfare of their children to the environment they are exposed to.

"The streets are no safe for our children. Parents are not taking their responsibility in safeguarding their children. The system that supposes to protect them is so weak and as a result it develops lots of risk factors associated to children."