Dimapur, May 27 (EMN): The concept of Child Rights and child protection is one of the least-attended issues for the society both by the government and nongovernmental organisations, a local administrator in Dimapur has observed.
Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur Kesonyu Yhome was airing his thoughts during a seminar on Child Right and child protection that was organised by the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) in collaboration with local nongovernmental organisation Childline of Dimapur on Saturday at the Tourist Lodge in Dimapur.
Even with the involvement of stakeholders who he said were the decision-making authorities in their respective ward and village, the issue is least attended for the reason that there is no fund involved where child protection is concerned. Work is only on voluntary basis, Yhome said in his keynote address.
There are two definitions to a child’s belonging in the Naga society namely ‘my own’ and ‘theirs’ which leads to obvious favouritism and abuse, the district administrator said. Further, there are particular instances when children in school were punished, he said. Calling it an issue of management, the deputy commissioner said that the authorities should address.
“According to a survey report prepared by solicitation of gender which was submitted to Supreme Court of India 200 women and girl child is forced into prostitution every day in India where 15-20 % falls below the age of 15 years. The girl child being forced into prostitution age has been falling for the last ten years from 15 years to ten to eight years” expounded Yhome while remarking ‘through this status we can sense the activities going around us’.
According to him, there is a ‘legislation issue’, ‘executive issue’ and ‘development issue.’ But the point, he said, is that it is not about legislation or law because the country has sufficient laws to take action against people violating rights of a child. ‘Just organising seminars
and awareness programmes will not work. The whole concept of child rights is to protect them,’ he said.
Yhome is also the chairman of the DCPU of Dimapur. He challenged the participants to stand for the rights of children. ‘Law and legislation will be pointless if we do not stand up against the defenceless children,’ he said. The responsibility lies with each individual, starting from the ward to the village, he said. ‘When we stand up for child right and protection, there is meaning for such seminars and campaigns,’ Yhome said.
A program coordinator of Childline of Dimapur, Lozüa Kape, also said during the event that domestic helpers are being deprived of their original names by their owners. This leads to identity crises as they grow up, she said. Children brought from rural areas to towns with promises of education often land up as domestic helpers and those children are mostly from the eastern areas, she said.
Reading out cases recorded and intervened by Childline in Dimapur district, Kape revealed in the year 2012-2013 there were 124 cases, 2012-13 (126), 2013-14 (202), 2014-15 (139),2015-16 (176), 2016-17 (149), till April 2017 (16).
Dealing with such issues comes with challenges and the organisation faces challenges with issues concerning customary practices, lack of concern and ignorance; threats from outside parties; community mobilization, lack of support systems and lack of financial and manpower systems, Kape said.
In order to involve the ‘community,’ the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) has incorporated ‘community based child protection group’ in its service structure at the sub district level in the form of village / Ward Level Child Protection Committees which are voluntary bodies constituted with the help of recognised local bodies. This was stated by State Child Protection Society (SCPS) of Kohima’s Programme Manager Ritale Zeliang. The speaking was talking about the role of Village Level Child Protection Committee (VLCPC).
In rural set up, the VLCPC and in urban set up, the WLCPC, were initiated to ensure protection and wellbeing of children living within the community. The village / ward chairman shall be the chairman of the child protection community with 7-8 members of which there shall be two children representatives.
The VLCPC / WLCPC are required to participate in the village council meetings and be aware of the rights, privileges, programmes, policies and schemes available for the children and spread the information to the community, Zeliang said.
Also, Zeliang acknowledged that customary laws play an important role. However, the speaker was critical that when it comes to children, authority should be practised and with no funds available for child right and protection, she suggested to mark an amount from the Village Development Board fund.
DCPU’s probation officer Moajungla highlighted topics on ‘child protection and child rights.’ The speaker said that the Child Welfare Committee supports four rights i.e., right to survival, development, protection and participation, which she said every individual as law-abiding citizen needs to be aware of.
