The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), Government of India organized the fifth one day Regional Symposium on Child Protection, Child Safety and Child Welfare at Guwahati today.
There were eight participating states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura and Nagaland. The Symposium was attended by over 1200 representatives from Child Welfare Committees (CWCs), District Child Protection Units, Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs), Members of Village Child Protection Committee (VCPC) and Anganwadi Workers. The programme is part of a series of regional symposiums to be held across the country to raise awareness and outreach about child protection, child safety and child welfare issues.
The Symposium was graced by Dr. Munjapara Mahendrabhai, Minister of State, Women and Child Development, Government of India, Sanjeev Kumar Chadha, Additional Secretary, Women and Child Development, Government of India, and Shri Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
The focus of the programme was on the Amendments in the Juvenile Justice Act, Rules. Its impact on adoption processes were highlighted in the experience shared by Prospective Adoptive Parents who received a quick resolution post the Amendment in September, 2022.
In his address, Minister of State, MoWCD, Dr. Munjapara Mahendrabhai highlighted the changes made in the JJ Act 2015, its rules and adoptation regulations. These changes will help in delivering better quality of services to the children in need of care and protection and also children in conflict with law. He mentioned that definitions of terms such as foster care, heinous care, inter country adaptation, specialised adoptation agencies, sponsorship etc. have been duly amended. Similarly, it has been made mandatory for states to constitute Juvenile Justice Board in every district, constitution of one or more child welfare committees in every district, mandatory reporting of a child found separated from guardian, registration of child care institutions, eligibility of new prospective and adoptive parents etc.
Additional Secretary, MoWCD, Sanjeev Kumar Chadha addressed the event and appreciated the work being done by all the functionaries in different States and panchayat level for child welfare protection under JJ Act. He stated that the child protection ecosystem has undergone a paradigm shift in the past few years with the amendments in the JJ Act. He further highlighted the success of Child Helpline in various states and focused on the implementation of the principle of “No Child is left out” to bring about the betterment of every child in the country and help them become responsible citizens of the country.
NCPCR Chairperson, Priyank Kanoongo shared the changes made in the spheres of child trafficking, street children, child adoption, monitoring of children care institutions etc. Giving an example of how NCPCR has been spearheading child welfare, he mentioned the case of the Aspirational District of Kiphire in Nagaland. He stated, “we visited Kiphire after traveling 17 hours by road from Dimapur. It was the first time child welfare functionaries were visiting the district. We received over 250 complaints from the residents. We noticed the 20 year old Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Kiphire was functioning without a building. The issues were subsequently addressed. JNV Kiphire now has a school building”.