Punjab to launch mission to check crimes against children

Punjab Government on Friday decided to launch a “mission” to check crimes against children. State Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal has asked all the Deputy Commissioners and district police heads to launch a mission to check crimes against children in their respective districts and ensure safety of children in all public places. 

Besides, the Government would soon launch a multimedia campaign to generate awareness regarding various acts protecting women and children. Kaushal, inaugurating a sensitization workshop organised jointly by Mahatma Gandhi State Institute for Public Administration and Punjab State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights on Child Rights, advocated the need of strong mechanism for effective implementation of child and women rights acts enacted at the national and State levels for providing much needed support to these vulnerable sections of the society. 

The sensitisation process of the functionaries of the implementation agencies for schemes of social sectors needs to be further geared up by organising workshops and seminars at divisional and district levels, he stressed. 

Kaushal directed the DCs and SSPs to ensure effective implementation of various Acts protecting women and children. “Social sector needs special focus of our efforts for giving a push to the overall growth in the country,” he said. 

At the same time, he lamented that the officers posted in departments of state government looking after social security programmes lacks interest, which leads to tardy process in ensuring benefits of schemes envisaged for the poor strata of society. 

He said that this attitude must change and all including government officials, NGOs and individuals must actively involve in giving a push to the welfare programmes for children and women.

Kaushal asked the Child Rights Commission to launch a website and prepare a compendium illustrating various measures for protection of child rights which should be available with every functionary in different departments dealing with child protection projects. 

Strongly pleading for combating malnutrition amongst children, Kaushal said that while reviewing implementation of mid-day meal scheme in Punjab schools, he had observed lot of deficiencies, which have been rectified. 

He expressed satisfaction that today 15 lakh children are getting mid-day meals thus contributing in improving their health status. Professing for adopting child specific approach, Kaushal said that child labour was completely banned in Punjab and he has asked the members of civil society not to employ children as domestic help, at dhabhas and other unorganised sectors of employment. 

Instead of giving them labour job, give them opportunity to pursue goals of quality education so that they could become a part of civilised society, he said.