HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Jan 30: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in collaboration with the Assam School Education Department, organised a state-level conference on “Key Child Rights Issues” at the Assam Administrative Staff College, Guwahati. The programme focused on education, health and mental health and effective implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
The conference brought together state- and district-level stakeholders, including officials from Education, Police, Women & Child Development, State Child Protection Society (SCPS), District Child Protection Officers, Child Welfare Committees, Juvenile Justice Boards, Special Juvenile Police Units, school principals, staff of Child Care Institutions and civil society representatives. Discussions centred on district-level implementation challenges, school safety, accountability in NCPCR guidelines and children’s health and mental well-being.
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The programme was inaugurated by Surendra Kumar, IPS, Additional Director General of Police, Vigilance & Anti-Corruption, Assam, along with Dr Shyamal Saikia, Chairperson, SCPCR Assam, Narayan Konwar, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, School Education Department, Shaista K Shah, NCPCR, Madhumita Bhagawati, ACS, Secretary and Mamata Hojai, Director of Secondary Education. Kumar emphasised collaboration between government and civil society, while Shah highlighted safety, security and mental health concerns of schoolchildren, noting that NCPCR has resolved around 31,000 complaints, rescued 2,800 children and facilitated repatriation of 1,800 children in the last six-seven months.
Shah also outlined NCPCR initiatives on children’s mental health, protection of transgender children, support for children with incarcerated mothers, combating child trafficking through the “A2i 3.0” campaign and AI-based mechanisms to curb child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). She urged district authorities to implement NCPCR’s SugarBoard initiative in schools to address childhood obesity.
Technical sessions focused on:
1. School safety & accountability: Roles of schools and management in safety and mental health support.
2. Health & mental health: Teacher training, awareness of childhood mental health issues, SugarBoards.
3. POCSO Act, 2012: Reporting, investigation, child-friendly procedures and counselling support.
4. Juvenile Justice Act, 2015: Strengthening infrastructure, manpower, monitoring of Child Care Institutions, aftercare and adoption services.
Key recommendations included institutional strengthening, regular training of district functionaries, improved inter-departmental coordination, enhanced cyber-safety and mental health support in schools. The programme concluded with an open house discussion, where participants shared district-level experiences and reaffirmed their commitment to safeguarding children’s rights and entitlements.
