NGO urges Assam govt to protect children
today urged the Assam government to immediately intervene and protect
about 800 children affected by the recent violence in Baksa and Kokrajhar
districts of Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD).
The organisation in a statement also urged the state government
to take urgent steps to ensure that children who have been orphaned
were staying in a place of safety with their relatives and only when
there was no other recourse, should these children be sent to childrens' homes.
The children are currently taking shelter along with their families
in different relief-camps of the two districts following the two-day
attack since May 1 in which 46 people lost their lives.
Of the 169 children in the camp at Bangarpur village, 64 are in
the age group of 0-6 years and many of these children lost their
parents in the attack on unarmed villagers and need immediate attention.
The government should also ensure that the children affected by
the violence were able to continue their studies in an environment
of safety and care, and children living in the camps were provided
with psycho-social counselling along with safe drinking water and
nutritious food, the statement said.
The organisation deplored the killing of innocent children and other
civilians, and appealed all stakeholders to address the structural
causes of this violence so that no more innocents, particularly children
were maimed, orphaned or killed.