To promote child-friendly policing and to provide safe space for children in society, a three-day consultation on developing a ‘Child Protection Curriculum’ for Chhattisgarh Police began here on Monday.
The consultation being organised by Crime Investigation Department (CID), PHQ, in partnership with UNICEF Chhattisgarh is being held with an aim to have an in-depth discussion with the resource persons, having experience and expertise in Child Protection, to develop a comprehensive curriculum on the subject for pre-service and in-service police officers. After this consultation programme, a module on child protection will be developed and integrated in the curriculum of police academy.
In his address to the programme, Chhattisgarh Director General of Police AN Upadhyay raised questions regarding the pressure faced by our children in our society.
He discouraged the tradition of comparing children to angels and demons, and positioning them as the future of the country.
Upadhay emphasised that the children should be allowed to enjoy their childhood, and they should not be burdened with society’s expectations from them.
He affirmed that children have the right to their own lives. But society claims to have a right on child and manipulates his/her behavior as per its own convenience. Children should be treated as children, as should be allowed a safe to do right, to make mistakes and to learn their own lessons through the mistakes, instead of fitting them into the box of societal parameters.
At the onset, Chetna Desai, Child Protection Specialist UNICEF, gave welcome address and threw light on the objectives of the consultation.
Thereafter Prashanta Dash addressed the guests and the participants. In his address to the inaugural session of the consultation programme, Prashanta Dash, CFO, UNICEF Chhattigsarh, underlined the need to develop a skill-based curriculum on Child Protection for Chhattisgarh Police and UNICEF’s commitment to design the same.
AD Gautam, IPS, ADGP, in his address said that a skill-based effective training and intensive assessment should be an important part of this curriculum on Child Protection.
He also highlighted the importance of drawing inspiration from national experience and perspective in order to develop a meaningful and relevant course curriculum for State’s Police Cadre.
Gautam also elaborated on the requirement of course material based on the specific needs of the police cadre and their role in administering Child Protection.
RK Vij, Special Director General of Police, Chhattisgarh said that the curriculum should address the legislative provisions, infrastructural requirements, but most importantly, it should focus on bringing about a shift in attitude of police personnel towards children.
The curriculum should be focused on making police more child-friendly and inculcating in them the belief on restorative justice for children.
He also emphasized the importance of integrating field work in the curriculum.
RH Auradkar, ADGP Kartnataka Police, in his address to the programme, congratulated Chhattisgarh Police for this commendable initiative.
He spoke in detail about the Karnataka model of capacity development for police cadre and the need for sensitizing police personnel towards children. Likewise, RB Panigrahi, SP (CID) Odisha Police, informed the participants about the programs being conducted in Odisha state against child-related crimes. In this programme, "Towards Child-Friendly District Mahasamund" book published by Mahasamund District Police was also released at hands of the esteemed guests of the occasion.
This three-day consultation on Child Protection Curriculum for Chhattisgarh Police is being organized under the guidance of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Arun Dev Gautam and Deputy Inspector General of Police , Neha Champawat, wherein experts from nine different states including Chhattisgarh are participating.
On the occasion, DIGP SC Dwivedi, UNICEF Chhattisgarh State Head M Prashanta Dash, SPs of Durg and Mahasamund districts, officials and employees of Police Headquarters were present. Inaugural Programme was conducted by SP CID MN Pandey.