NCPCR Holds State-Level Child Rights Conference in Guwahati, Flags Key Concerns

 A State Level Conference on Child Rights was held at the Administrative Staff College of Assam in Guwahati on Friday, bringing together government officials, child protection experts, and law enforcement representatives to deliberate on the safety, protection, and welfare of children across the state.

The event was organised by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in coordination with the State Child Protection Society, Assam, under the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Assam. 

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Presiding over the conference, IAS officer Partha Pratim Mazumdar, Secretary of the Department of Women and Child Development, set the tone by stressing that child protection cannot rest on any single institution alone.

He called for a comprehensive and coordinated approach involving schools, families, communities, law enforcement agencies, and welfare institutions, describing the creation of a safe ecosystem for children in Assam as a shared responsibility of government and civil society alike.

Paresh Shah, Senior Technical Expert and Division Head for Special Cells and Programs at NCPCR, outlined the commission's recent track record. Over the past eight months, NCPCR resolved more than 31,000 pending cases, rescued nearly 2,800 children, and repatriated over 1,800 children through its GHAR initiative.

Shah also highlighted two key national programmes — the Anti-Child Trafficking Cell and awareness campaigns running across 200 bordering districts of the country — as part of NCPCR's broader effort to combat child trafficking at scale.

Dr. Shyamal Prasad Saikia, IPS (Retd.), Chairperson of the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, drew attention to a set of challenges that are growing in visibility but often go unaddressed — substance abuse among children, bullying within schools, and the particular vulnerability of children with special needs.

He called for the formation of school-level child protection committees, the appointment of dedicated counsellors and special educators, and stronger monitoring mechanisms within educational institutions.

Madhumita Bhagawati, ACS, Secretary of the School Education Department, also addressed the gathering, reaffirming the state government's commitment to ensuring the safety and security of children in Assam's schools.

The conference included a series of technical sessions led by subject matter experts, covering a wide range of issues including the child rights situation in Assam, the Juvenile Justice system, implementation of the POCSO Act, school safety guidelines, child trafficking prevention strategies, and the NCPCR POCSO tracking portal.

Sessions were conducted by Ashok Sarma, Pratistha Adhikari, Parminder Singh, and Rozy Rani Sarmah, APS, SSP CID Assam.