Mangalore : Dakshina Kannada Child Welfare Committee (CWC) immediate past President Asha Nayak has said that the CWC in a period of three years nine months has handled 1,138 cases, of which 1,121 have been settled.

Speaking in  a press meet at Hotel Woodlands here on Wednesday July 9, she thanked the police, hospitals, NGOs, media and the general public for helping the CWC in protecting the rights of the children.

More than 50 cases of sexual abuse under the Protection of Children under Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) have been handled by the CWC, which involved rehabilitation, counselling, protection and care of the children. “There were 300 pending cases before the CWC when we took charge. All the pending cases have been disposed off,” she said.

She said that Rs 7.15 lakh has been given as sponsorship for education to 125 beneficiaries through Integrated Child Protection Society. The CWC has also recommended to the government to give a monthly honorarium of Rs 1,000 to the parents of a boy, who was sacrificed by a man at Yeyyadi three years ago.

Nayak said that the institutions for orphan and single parent children which were hitherto running without registration, were brought under the surveillance of the CWC by regisration and licensing of the same under Juvenile Justice Act. Initially 45 institutions were registered by the Women and Child Welfare department, later it has increased to 52, thereby bringing in decorum in the institutions, she added.

A data base of all children in the institutions under the Juvenile Justice Act has been created. All personal data of every child has been recorded. Thirty seven children have been adopted through the government recognised adoption agency, she added. The child is fit for adoption after two months of its stay in the institution.

She said that the CWC has collaborated with the Yenepoya Hospital for giving perennial aid to the registered children institutions in and around Mangalore. It was first of its kind in the State wherein health care facilities are offered for the children.

Nayak said that the CWC has worked with the National Institute of Technology-Karnataka and launched the Jagriti project- an online platform and mobile app dealing with child labour and child abuse in an attempt to catalyse and contribute to social welfare efforts. As there was no awareness on the app, the CWC has received only two cases since its inauguration on March 7, 2014.

She said that during her term, awareness has been created among the civil society on the child rights. To a query on sucidal tendency among teenagers, Nayak said that it would be better if schools and colleges have counsellors to counsell the students, to overcome adjustment problem and personality issue.

She also announced that Nikesh Shetty would be the new chairperson of the CWC. Speaking about the new amendment to children’s rights, she said that it will bring more hope to children as well as to the CWC activists, as it will be more effective compared to the current one, and that the new government is expected to table it at the earliest.
                     
Former CWC members Lavanya Shetty, Dr Suphala Kotian and Manjula Rao were present on the occasion.