the goan I network
PANAJI
The Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) has moved on the fast track with a procedure to amend the decade-and-a-half-old Goa Children’s Act and called for a meeting of stakeholders to deliberate on the proposal.
The current Act came into force in Goa in 2005 and since then many new issues related to children have cropped up and need to be added within the scope of the Act, and implemented. The commission aims to amend this to bridge the gap.
For the same, the Commission will hold a day-long round-table session at the Directorate of Art and Culture on February 9, informed Adv Sushma Mandrekar, chairperson of the commission. The meeting will include stakeholders including representatives of government agencies, children’s court judges, lawyers and children’s rights groups, said Adv Mandrekar on Wednesday.
Further, some provisions under the Goa Act conflict with other national children’s acts. The round-table discussion will aim at bridging the gap between these too.
The GSCPCR under the previous commissioner has already done a comprehensive exercise by taking suggestions and recommendations, and inputs from stakeholders regarding the amendment. The same will be revisited on February 9.
From the stakeholders that were asked to submit suggestions, the police department was the only one that did not submit any.
Adv Madrekar also said that there will be a push for a children’s court to be set up in both the districts as opposed to having just one state court.
