ITANAGAR, Sep 11: The Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) launched its statewide Child Rights Awareness and Child Welfare Assessment Campaign themed ‘Know Your Rights – Protect Every Child’ from Longding today.
With this campaign, the Commission aims to cover all districts, focus on awareness and ground-level assessment of child protection mechanisms and facilities, and eventually identify gaps and concerns, besides submitting a consolidated report with recommendations to the state government.
APSCPCR Chairperson Ratan Anya called for collective efforts to protect children from abuse, exploitation, trafficking and neglect. She urged the police, CWCs, DCPUs, schools, parents, village chiefs, traditional institutions and civil society to work in coordination to ensure every child’s safety, education and dignity.
Anya highlighted the Commission’s interventions in child rights violation and school safety cases and its advocacy for stronger measures against bullying and ragging. She informed that the Commission has submitted 32 recommendations to the state government on various child rights and welfare issues.
Wancho Council spokesperson Dr Manlong Ralonghum said the Council has come up with child protection rules and begun compiling village-level data on children, particularly those requiring care and protection. He urged communities to inform the Council about children being sent outside the area or district.
ZPM Lachoi Wangpan flagged concerns linked to large family sizes and the inability of some families to adequately support their children. He stressed responsible parenthood and family planning for better care and educational opportunities.
DC Kunal Yadav urged the Wancho Council to maintain data on children being sent outside the district and ensure proper monitoring. He also appealed to individuals to sponsor the education of children in need and announced that he would personally sponsor the education of one needy child.
The DC also stressed the need for a Child Care Institution/Children’s Home in Longding, with Vatsalya Sadan proposed as a possible site. The proposal has been forwarded to the concerned authorities, while the Wancho Council president has ‘agreed’ to donate land for the facility.
Meanwhile, an Anti-Human Trafficking Helpline has been launched by the police/DCPU in the district to facilitate reporting and timely intervention in trafficking cases.
The Commission expressed concern over children being sent outside in the name of education and potentially ending up as domestic helpers or being exploited. Parents and guardians were urged to ensure that children are sent only through safe, lawful and child-protection-compliant arrangements, with proper monitoring.
The CWC and DCPU, Longding, were felicitated as “Champions of Child Rights” for their proactive work in child protection.
Protection Officer Anita Wangpan, during a session on the Right to Education, school safety and bullying, stressed the need for adequate hostel facilities near secondary schools, particularly for children from interior areas. She also called for properly constituted school-level child protection and safety committees.
Legal cum probation officer Wangtan Wangsu conducted sessions on mental health, emotional well-being, substance abuse, online safety, cyber bullying, social media misuse and online gaming addiction.
The programme was attended by village chiefs, panchayat and community leaders, Anganwadi workers, CWC, DCPU and JJB representatives, students and other stakeholders.