Need of strengthening Child safety net When Protector is predator…

 

Teaching is considered as one of the noble profession where a person should be ready to render his service

beyond professionalism. They are being trusted like our parents & we consider them sometimes as our role model in our life.

But I was just shocked in teacher’s involvement in child trafficking. Recently rescue of three girls children & two boys children aged between 9 months to 6 years reflect the need of one aspect –child safety net.

Arrest of school principal, a school teacher along with other seven(total nine) highlighted the requirement of strengthening our state machinery related to child protection. All it happened in a central school at Bankura district in west Bengal.

I am happy that those predators were arrested but their act had shown the least form of our materialistic life where people go ahead to achieve their meta needs(above their basic needs) in any way.

You might feel sorry like me to hear that three of these children were from sex workers family. Now again it raised questions–

a) How was the earlier inspection of school & ensuring of child safety net in the school.

b) Why sex workers family had been targeted?? Is it easy for the predators to use them & not letting them to be in societal main stream generation wise??

c) How is Child protection system implemented in the school?? Is there any coordination & continuous interaction between various systems??

d) Details of study should be made regarding–whether children had been taught in using toll free number 1098? Do other relatively elder children know this ??

This racket might have been working from long time ago & it is our failure to identify the potential danger for our children. To save our children from the prey of other predator who might be in disguise around us, we should emphasize on strengthening our child safety net.

a) If our children are staying at boarding school, we should have frequent communication with our children.

b) Requirement of post of a counsellor is very much required & this should be reflected clearly in the school licensing system.

c) Checking of referrals in case of recruitment.

We all know that child is much more safe to his parents (with exception in some cases). Even the state machinery also consider this & encourage there by is on non institutional service like– sponsorship, foster care, adoption etc.

These are all excellent but during covid period chances of child trafficking also increased a lot. Loss of job, death of parents, financial hardship & starvation made human being in-human & thus involve in child trafficking. Protection from abuse, child marriage, in need of having medical aid etc have been increased during covid period(from Child Line data).

Now it is high time to provide non institutional service to the economically weaker sections of the society. Equally strengthening of economic condition of the parents by either providing cash or through linking them SHG-IGP(Self help group-Income generation programme) should be there for actually strengthening family bond & child safety. Needless to say, number of 3P model between Govt & Ngo should be in requirement with high priority.

Though step is already taken in PPP model (Govt-Ngo partnership) in samagra shiksha but still number is quite a few & need more & more for the benefit of schooling system & children.

Why I am talking all these where I have started with Protector & predator?? Yes. because to save our children from these kind of predator. It is because our child safety net system is still in need of modifying, strong monitoring & reaching to number of target population.

Through out the world consciousness & focuses are on child rights. Countries who have signed on UN Convention is bound to follow this international treaty. But recent pandemic situation remind us more & more focus on child protection & child safety net. There exists a typical relation between these two aspects.

Through CP(child protection), children rights are reflected & to be fulfilled. To protect your child starvation & homeless you will need the survival right of the child through shelter & food.

Predator in our society find the gap- things need to be fulfilled & service not accessible to the target beneficiary for causes. This causative factor of situational gap is the root of all evils– Child trafficking, child abuse, child labour , child marriage etc to name a few.

Whatever you modify and implement it would n’t work un-till it fulfills the requirement of target population. Lots of effort had been tried but still we have problems. This reflect–

i) Updating of recent data continuously for making & implementing policy because field changes fast.

ii) Flexibility in modifying policy & re-implementation .

iii) Emphasizing on PPP model as Ngo can better reach to grass-root level & it had been proved several times.

iv)Transparency & one window system.. so that it can be easily accessible to the needy population.

v) Establishing linkage between service required for target beneficiary & CSR. Emphasizing is on how economic weaker section can be better served through CSR. Govt policy should be monitored frequently.

However, to combat trafficking even different types of apps are being used. Only mass awareness & practices are needed. Below are some apps which can be download from play store to stop trafficking(worldwide).. Besides there are also useful links to have information related to combatting of trafficking .

• The Stop App.(UK).
• Cyber Tipline(US).
• Sishu Suraksha App(West Bengal, Assam… in India,)..Source- The Telegraph
• Track child(for missing child…India),source–trackthemissingchild.gov.in
• Dial of toll-free number-1098(source– child-line India foundation). We should remember always about the fact that 80% of child abuse cases are found within the contact of close relations. Children are generally taught about –good touch-bad touch, sharing of feelings etc but we should first change our attitude. People engage in noble profession like -teaching should choose the profession not for the sake of earning because from individual development to nation development, they play a vital role. Respected Sir & Madam-If you can stay away from politics, refrain from being greedy(not running after gratifying at the cost of everything), having strong self concept then you are welcome to this profession. Society still respect you as a teacher & you should not defame this noble profession by your dirty attitude.. children despite of category/class they belong to, deserve to access–basic rights –survival, protection, participation & developmental as minimum to grow up as potential future citizen & perpetrator/predator should be punished in such a way so that it would remain as an example for other potential deviators/sociopath. Above all, smile of our children is an important factor for us & we want them to grow up within a strong safety net.

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