ASCPCR reviewed child-related issues with Hailakandi district administration

A CORRESPONDENT

HAILAKANDI: Member of Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR), Ajoy Kumar Dutta reviewed child related and other issues with the district administration here on Tuesday.

At a review meeting held at the Deputy Commissioner's conference hall with the district administration, Education, Labour, Social Welfare, Health, Food Civil Supplies and Corporate Affairs departments, District Child Protection Office, Childline, Child Welfare Committee and other stakeholders, Dutta called upon them to work in tandem to eliminate child labour, trafficking and child marriage in the district.

The ASCPCR member while expressing serious concern over the alarming rise in graph of child labour in the district, directed the District Labour and Welfare Department to hold monthly meeting of the district level task force to eliminate the child labour menace.

Dutta said in the wake of incoming migrant workers in hordes with their children, the administration and other stakeholders must formulate an action plan to enrol the children in schools. He also asked the Education Department to come up with an up-to-date list of drop-outs within 15 days and to take necessary steps for their enrollment.

The ASCPCR member reviewed the status of different government schemes meant exclusively for children during the lockdown phase. He inquired about the action plan and programmes of the administration to rehabilitate the migrant workers and generating income source for them. The ASCPCR member directed the Social Welfare Department to ensure proper care and protection of children of migrant labourers.

Chairman, Child Welfare Committee, Nilotpol Deb urged the ASCPCR to come up with some definite plans to provide higher education to pass out students of Residential School Training Centre. DSP (Sadar) Nayan Jyoti Barman apprised the ASCPCR member that nine POCSO cases were registered in different police stations of the district.

District Child Protection Officer Jitul Borah informed that eight cases against child abuse were registered during the lockdown.

The ASCPCR member, who is on a nine-day visit to the three districts of Barak Valley, also took stock of the situation at the landslide hit spots and enquired about the health and well being of the affected children.

Dutta asked the administration and all the stakeholders to look after the well being, education and future of the affected children. He opined that the ex-gratia amount given to the next of kith of the landslide victims by the government must be properly utilised for the children's day-to-day needs and other requirements in future. Dutta also visited some of the facility quarantine centres and enquired about the condition of the children housed there.

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