Officials of various departments were asked to be aware of laws and acts in force to protect children from atrocities and abuse. As part of the ongoing Child Rights Week, members of Forum for Child Rights, Child Welfare Committee, Krishna district and District Child Protection Unit and Childline organised a workshop for police, legal officers and NGOs, at TANA Child Rescue Centre on Wednesday.
Police officers, who were designated as Child Welfare Officers in the stations in the district, NGO representatives, officers from Women Development and Child Welfare, National Child Labour Project, Juvenile Welfare and other departments attended the programme.
Deputy Director of Prosecutions (DDoP) B. Ramakoteswara Rao explained the participants on Child Marriage Restraint Act, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Criminal Law (Amendment) Act.
The participants discussed about the CrPc and IPC sections which had been enforced to protect children from domestic violence, bonded labour, sexual assault, cruelty against children and harassment, and punish the guilty. Mr. Rao explained the police on dos and don’ts in handling children in POCSO and Juvenile Justice Acts.
The DDoP said the police should register a case with appropriate sections immediately after receiving the complaint and take up investigation. The victim should be sent for medical examination, in the presence of parents, and the incident should be reported to the Child Welfare Committee and the designated Special Court within 24 hours.
Under any circumstances the victim should not be summoned to the police station. If necessary the inquiry officer, in the rank of Sub-Inspector, should meet the victim at his/her residence for recording the statement.
Only a women officer should be deputed for recording the statement, if the victim was a girl. The inquiry officer should not leak the information to the media and the victim should be provided necessary aid from the government, Mr. Ramakoteswara Rao explained.
Earlier, students of various schools and home took ‘Childline Se Dosti’ pledge at RCM School, Pezzonipeta in the city.
CWC member Fr. Bala Showry, Juvenile Justice Board member M. Krishna Prasad, District Child Protection Officer Ch. Vijay Lumar, District Probation Officer Bhaskar, Machilipatnam Circle Inspector Ramanamma, City Crime Records Bureau Sub-Inspector Rama Kumari, Childline director P. John Raju, District Child Protection Unit officer Rama and Childline coordinator A. Ramesh participated.
