HAILAKANDI, June 13 - A month-long awareness drive on child trafficking and child rights began in Hailakandi district along with the rest of the state coinciding with the World Day against Child Labour on Friday.
Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) member Ajoy Kumar Dutta said the awareness drive would be carried out in coordination with CDPO, Childline, Labour, Health, Social Welfare and other departments.
�The month-long drive will focus on eliminating child labour, as the commission is concerned about the well-being of children of the state,� said Dutta, adding that there is high probability that migrants who have returned to the state due to the COVID-19 pandemic may get exposed to various forms of abuse and exploitation.
Dutta said the focus was on preventing trafficking as it paves the way for child labour and child marriage and also linking children of migrant labourers to various social protection and development schemes such as sponsorship, foster care and ensuring their enrollment in schools.
The ASCPCR member said the commission�s strategy was towards creating a safety net for children. �Creating a database of children from vulnerable families and linking them to social security schemes and strengthening the child protection mechanism to deal with child-related cases is the commission�s long-term plan,� he said.
Dutta also visited the landslide-hit Mohonpur Grant under Hailakandi revenue circle on Friday to get a first-hand account of the condition of the affected families and their children. The ASCPCR member said he would place the findings in a review meeting with the district administration.
He said he would also visit the facility quarantine centres to oversee the arrangements made by the administration for children of migrants housed there. He said he has not received any complaints regarding violation of child rights in the quarantine centres.
Silchar Staff Correspondent adds: Echoing the call to eradicate child labour, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Cachar, organised an awareness campaign as part of World Day against Child Labour.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Ranjan Brahma announced the launch of the campaign in the presence of DLSA secretary Dr Partha Sarathi Bhattacharjee, maintaining the norms of social distancing amidst the COVID-19 situation.
Brahma highlighted the importance of the campaign and hoped that the audio message shall reach out to the masses. Bhattacharjee said that the DLSA will organise an online essay competition for students of classes 8 to 12 on June 26 on the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
