JALUKBARI, Feb 27 - A two-day State-level conclave organised by the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) in partnership with the Gauhati University and supported by UNICEF Assam to discuss occurrence of disasters (natural and man-made) and their impact on children, ended today.
The inaugural session was addressed by Governor PB Acharya, who appealed for a humane touch to the implementation of laws and policies in dealing with children. He urged all concerned to keep in mind the best interests of the child while enforcing and intervening in situations involving children. The Governor also launched a joint report by ASCPCR and UNICEF, �Media Consultation on Child Rights, Media Ethics and Participation of Adolescents in the Media�.
ASCPCR chairperson, Runumi Gogoi while sharing experiences from her visits to conflict and disaster-affected areas, highlighted the increased vulnerability of children and urged stakeholders to come together to formulate a more effective and multi-sectorial response to address the multiple challenges impacting children.
The conclave deliberated on these issues with a view to understanding the impact of disasters and formulating a coherent and integrated response for achieving an increased protective environment for children in the context of disasters in Assam.
Drawing on the sustainable development goals (SDGs), Dr Tushar Rane, chief of UNICEF Assam, stressed the need to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to disasters, especially in the context of child rights issues. He congratulated ASCPCR and Gauhati University on taking the initiative and urged all stakeholders to address women and children, especially from disadvantaged and marginalised groups during disasters as they are the worst affected.
The consultation was attended by senior officials of government departments.
The two-day event will examine in detail the situation and key vulnerability of children and their families and will explore the framework of working with children in emergencies. The participants will also share some of the key good practices and child-specific services rendered by various government as well as civil society agencies and identify bottlenecks in addressing rights of children in the context of disasters.
A set of recommendations on the key policy, programmes and schemes to achieve an increased protective environment for children in the context of disasters in Assam was formulated over the course of the two days.
