Mangaluru: Unregistered child welfare centres are likely to face closure if they do not register themselves immediately. Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner Sasikanth Senthil S on Thursday gave a three-month deadline to all such unregistered centres.

Addressing officials from the Dakshina Kannada Child Protection Committee and Dakshina Kannada District Children Protection Unit, Senthil ordered the heads of all such centres to register under the Child Rights Act. Strict action will be initiated against those who do not abide by the order, in addition to facing closure, he added.

Senthil expressed dissatisfaction over the registration of 421 POCSO cases between 2012 and November 2017 in the district and ordered the officials concerned to expedite the process of hearing in impending cases.

To ensure that every child is protected from sexual and physical abuse, Senthil instructed the Deputy Director for Public Information (DDPI) to ensure that every educational institution abides by the rules laid down by the state’s Child Protection Policy (CPP) 2016. As per the CPP, each school needs to evolve its own customised plan keeping the template suggested in the policy.

To keep a track on the number of harassment cases against children, Senthil ordered the gram panchayats to submit monthly reports on child rights cases. He said rules will soon be made to ensure that every gram panchayat makes it a point to table the report on such cases at regular intervals.

Senthil also directed the DDPI to start special classes on POCSO for students from the next academic year.