‘Child Protection’ is about protecting children from or against any perceived or real danger or risk to their life, their personhood and childhood. It is about reducing their vulnerability to any kind of harm and to ensure that no child falls-out of the social safety net and those who do, receive necessary care, protection and support so as to bring them back into the safety net. While protection is a right of every child, some children are more vulnerable than others and need special attention. The Government recognises these children as ‘children in difficult circumstances’, characterised by their specific social, economic and geo-political situations. In addition to providing a safe environment for these children, it is imperative to ensure that all other children also remain protected. This is because child protection is integrally linked to every other right of the child. There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.
The Government of India drafted the National Policy for Children (NPC) to adopt a rights-based approach to address the emerging challenges in the situation of children. The NPC reiterates its commitment to safeguard, inform, include, support and empower all children within its territory and jurisdiction, both in their individual situation and also to acknowledge them as a national asset. It has become mandatory for every state to ensure that all children have equal opportunities and that no custom, tradition, cultural or religious practice is allowed to violate, or restrict or prevent children from enjoying their rights. It is not what we do for our children, but what we have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings.
GOVERNMENT-CIVIL SOCIETY PARTNERSHIP: In order to reach out to all children, in particular to those in difficult circumstances, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) does not see child protection as the exclusive responsibility of the MWCD but stresses that other sectors have vital roles to play. Last week, five members from Goa attended the Regional level review meet at Bangalore on the subject of the Integrated Child Protection Scheme. The Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) is a centrally sponsored plan aimed at building a protective environment for children in difficult circumstances, as well as other vulnerable children, through government-Civil Society Partnership. Therefore, ICPS is implemented as a Government-Civil Society Partnership under the overarching direction and responsibility of the Central and State Governments. The scheme visualises a structure for providing services as well as monitoring and supervising the effective functioning of child protection system, involving both government, civil society organisations and individuals. Under the Mamta scheme for girl child in Goa an amount of Rs 25,000 is paid to all mothers who deliver a live girl child (maximum 2 deliveries) in a registered medical institution. This scheme is aimed at improving the female Child Sex ratio in the State.
REGIONAL LEVEL REVIEW MEET ON ICPS: Based on the cardinal principles of ‘protection of child rights’ and ‘best interest of the child”, ICPS is achieving its objectives to contribute to the improvements in the well being of children in difficult circumstances, as well as to reduce their vulnerabilities to situations and actions that lead to abuse, neglect, exploitation, abandonment and separation of children from their families. In order to ensure effective service delivery, ICPS will be implemented by setting up State Child Protection Society (SCPS) and District Child Protection Units (DCPUs) as the fundamental units for implementation at State and District level’s respectively.
ICPS envisages establishing of an exclusive cadre of skilled child protection personnel across the country. It also seeks to address the need for evidence based planning and action on child protection issues. As there is a dearth of data and skilled people working for the protection of children, the scheme provides support for strengthening of National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) and designates it as a nodal agency under ICPS, for building a knowledge base as well as enhancing capacities on child protection. Every institution should periodically assess the educational status and vocational aptitude of the children/juveniles in care by conducting tests and interacting with the children/juveniles informally. Necessary linkages should also be established with educational specialists and community-based welfare agencies, psychologists, psychiatrists, child guidance clinics, hospitals and local doctors and open schools to provide children/juveniles access to value added, need-based services. NGOs and voluntary organisations should be invited to provide special coaching, tuition, etc to children/juveniles when found necessary.
At a meeting held earlier this year in the presence of UNICEF officials from Maharashtra, stakeholders including Child Welfare Committee (CWC) representatives, JJB members and Goa Children’s Commission, brought out issues like exploitation of vulnerable children of migrants in night markets, traditional festivals, beach areas, the huge problem of alcoholism among the workforce which leads to domestic violence and the consequent fall out on the children, among others.
The problem faced by Juvenile Boards, and Child Welfare Committees in Goa are, absolute under-utilization of the government care home of “Apna Ghar”, lack of sufficient foster-care facilities, lack of trained counsellors, teachers and rehabilitation facilities for delinquent as well as poor children. Other problems in Goa include lack of sufficient caregivers, issues related to transitioning from institutional care to repatriation, Integration of foster care and aftercare and above all developing effective monitoring mechanisms. All these issues need to be addressed on a war footing to make Goa a child friendly and child caring state.
(The writer is a social scientist and member of the Juvenile Justice Board)
