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Advisor of social welfare department, Noke Wangnao, launching the video on adoption and radio jungles at secretariat conference hall, Kohima, on August 31.[/caption]
Dimapur, Aug. 31 (EMN): Child protection services under social welfare department today launched a video on adoption of radio and jingles at the secretariat’s conference hall, Kohima.
Speaking at the launching programme, secretary of social welfare department and chairman of child protection services, Sarah Ritse, said adoption is an act of love but the process has to go through law. She added that according to the Juvenile Justice Act, adoption is the process through which the adopted child is permanently separated from his biological parents and become the legitimate child of his adoptive parents with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities attached to the relationship.
She also apprised on the functions of state adoption resource agency (SARA) which act as an executive arm of the state government for promotion, facilitation, monitoring and regulation of adoption programme in the state. It primarily deals with adoption of orphan, surrender and abandoned children. She added that SARA in Nagaland has been doing exceptionally well since its inception in the year 2010. She said the total number of in-country adoption from April 2010 till date is 110, while the total number of inter-country adoption since 2015 till date is 10. She added that most of the adopting parents are local Naga parents.
Sarah also highlighted on the aim of video and radio jingles, which would create awareness and knowledge among the multi-stakeholders and the public to have a better understanding on the concept of legal adoption and to address issues related to adoption that might arise.
The various allied department participants included health and family welfare, police department, judiciary- legal service authority, DIPR, labour department, state resource centre for women, statutory bodies (SCPCR, child welfare committee, juvenile justice board, childline, governing body of SARA), specialised adoption agency and child care institutions, district child protection unit.
Making presentation on adoption, director of child protection services, Chubainla Jamir, pointed out that the district child protection unit identifies orphans, abandoned and surrendered children in the district level and get them legally free for adoption by the child welfare committee (CWC) with the help of specialised adoption agency (SAA) and childcare institutions (CCI).
Informing that there are more than 60 childcare institutions which are linked to the specialised adoption agencies, she said Nagaland is one of the first states in India to start linkage cases of adoption. She stated that with the interventions and initiatives taken by the SARA, some children under the childcare institutions were restored with their biological parents, while children without proper parental who were at risk of landing up in children homes or as domestic helpers put under non-institutional care services, and several trafficked victims were rescued and repatriated. She also stated that SAAs in Nagaland, with the help of SARA, is providing care, support and counselling to the mothers especially young girls to give their children for adoption instead of aborting them. She added that 85% of adoption in Nagaland was local Naga parents.
She further apprised that one can adopt from adoption agencies like Radiant Educational Society (SAA); Kohima Orphanage and Destitute Home (SAA); John 3:16 (SAA) Mon; Wondang-Ki Charitable Foundation (SAA), Dimapur.
A DIPR report stated that advisor of department social welfare, Noke Wangnao, launched the video and radio jingles. The programme was chaired by secretary of social welfare department and chairperson of child protection services, Sarah R Ritse.
