Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, MARCH 27
In continuance with its effort to sensitize and create awareness on child rights at the grass root, the District Child Protection Society of Kohima under the aegis of the State Child Protection Society (SCPS) conducted a seminar on Child Rights and their importance on Friday in Kezo Basa village falling under southern Angami area of Kohima district.
The effort to reach out to the villages across the State is to create a platform at the grassroots, wherein the villagers and the Child Welfare department will be able to collaborate on cases related to child rights and their protection.
The said initiative comes following the Supreme Court’s order directing every village to set up a Village Level Child Protection Committee. Going by the centre’s directive to set up the committee, it is solely to safeguard children in need of care and protection and those children in conflict with law.Speaking as the resource person, Megoneituo Kielienyü, Legal-cum-Probation Officer, emphasized on the good upbringing of children so as to make them responsible citizens of tomorrow.
Educating the villagers on the importance of child rights and their protection, Kielienyü while stating that children are the supreme assets of the society, urged the villagers to create an environment conducive for their physical and mental wellbeing.
Stating that children at a tender age will not be able to defend or speak for their rights, he told the villagers to take responsibility to safeguard their rights all the time.
“By knowing their (children) rights and defending them whenever needed, you are helping them at the same time giving them the guidance to be in the right track,” Kielienyü said.
Expressing the inability of the departmental staff to know what is happening at the grassroots, he made an ardent plea to the village leaders to come up with relevant measures to tackle child related issues.
“Knowing the inability of the departmental staff to go down to the grassroots, the Supreme Court has passed the order to set up Village Level Child Protection Committee. By setting up the committee, we can work hand-in-hand for the wellbeing of all the children,” he remarked.
The Probation Officer also educated the villagers on the various schemes sanctioned by the government for children’s welfare. He, however, told the villagers to first set up the child protection committee through which they (villagers) may approach the concerned department.
Village leaders from Kezo Basa, Kezoma attended the seminar.
