Guidelines for protection of children orphaned by Covid

Our Reporter
Dimapur, May 16 (EMN): In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, several children have lost their parents to Covid and it has become a cause of concern as various information on adoption are circulating on social media platforms.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) has however notified that there are lawful procedures of helping children who have lost their parents to Covid. Under Section 2(14) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, children without parents or caregivers are defined as children in need of care and protection. 

The notification stated that if a child was found to have lost parents to Covid with no one to look after them, the child had to be produced before the District Child Welfare Committee (CWC) within 24 hours.

The state government, the ministry informed, has been advised to use digital platforms for interaction in exceptional cases where physical interaction is not possible due to Covid related restrictions. The information about any child who had lost both the parents can be shared with Childline no 1098 and it will help produce the child before the CWC within 24 hours. 

“Care must be given to protect the identity of the child to avoid undue distress as provisioned under Section 74 of the Act and persons wishing to adopt the orphan children may approach Central Adoption Resource Authority (Cara) for lawful adoptions” the Ministry of WCD informed.