PANAJI
The child rights body has expressed concern over the lack of attention to children’s safety and protection as it pointed out to a sudden spike in cases against juveniles in Goa.
During a high-level meeting with government agencies on Friday, Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) Chairperson Peter Borges alleged that child safeguarding and protection have been overlooked for a considerable time.
“Child protection and welfare is not charity. It needs to be just and decisive and all the actors need to improve the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the child protection system. Child safeguarding and protection have been given too little attention for quite some time now,” he said.
Borges further opined that child protection is a shared responsibility that extends to all departments involved in welfare and protection at various levels.
He submitted a list of recommendations, including the formulation of a State Child Protection Policy by the Directorate of Women and Child Development and the enforcement of customized child protection policies in registered children’s homes. For the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, and the Sports Authority of Goa, the Commission suggested developing and enforcing child protection policies in coaching centers, training academies, sports associations, and clubs, with guidelines to ensure the safety, security, and healthy development of children.
The Commission also called upon District Magistrates to identify all institutions housing children, including boarding facilities, hostels, those offering religious education, and unregulated coaching institutes. These institutions should be registered with the relevant authorities to bring them under the umbrella of child protection with appropriate safeguards.
The Education department is being told to formulate and enforce child protection policies in all schools and amend the POCSO
circular in line with the Commission’s suggested amendments to address delays in reporting child sexual abuse whereas the Panchayat department is urged to strengthen village child committees and to conduct balgram sabha meetings at all panchayats by the end of November 2023.
The meeting included representatives from the Directorate of Education, Goa Educational Development Corporation, Tribal Welfare, Sports and Youth Affairs, District Magistrates from North and South Goa, and Goa Police.
