Conflict forces 47 kids into single-parent families
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 21 2024: Although no children have been orphaned due to the conflict that erupted on May 3 last year, around 45 children have either lost or been separated from one of their parents.

As such, efforts are underway to provide Rs 4000 a month to these children for educational expenses under the 'Mission Vatsalya' scheme, Social Welfare Department director Ng Uttam has stated.

In an exclusive interview with The People s Chronicle on Wednesday with regard to the initiatives taken up for the welfare of conflict-affected children, director Ng Uttam said that the conflict left 14 children in Imphal East district, six in Imphal West, two in Thoubal, 13 in Bishnupur and 12 in Churachandpur with single parent.

Of the 47 children, those in Churachandpur are still staying in children homes, while that of the valley are mostly staying with their relatives.

The Department has been taking up all necessary measures including looking into cases where children were allegedly orphaned or left with a single parent, he said, while informing that majority of the children had lost their fathers.

Uttam continued that even before the conflict, orphaned or children of single parent families have been linked up with the 'Mission Vatsalya' scheme allowing the DCs concerned to assist with the educational expenses under the sponsorship component.

He informed that a Sponsorship and Foster Care Committee, chaired by the DC concerned, has been set up in every district.

The Committee is to look into the origins of the children and submit a report of the same to the Department.

At present, most of the districts have submitted the reports.

In addition, the Ministry of Women and Child has set up a portal for the same.

Details of the children are uploaded by the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) team, following which the money, which is around Rs 4000 a month, is transferred into their respective bank accounts.

The money to be received by the children can be suspended after a year if the financial situation of the family had improved.

For this, the DCPU team will collect a social investigation report from time to time.

If the single parent household is financially stable, there will be room to replace such children with a deserving child instead.

Apart from this, any orphan with no one to look after them will receive the benefits of the scheme till 18 years of age.

If the children are staying at children homes assisted by the Department, the latter will extend support for fooding, clothing and educational expenses till 18 years of age, he conveyed.

On the other hand, around 93 children were found to have been orphaned due to reasons not related to the conflict.

These children had lost both parents before the violence and been staying with their relatives.

Regarding relief, all immediate necessary materials were handed over jointly with Relief and Disaster, Home Department to the DCs concerned.

However, with regard to the Social Welfare Department, the children are assisted by linking up with the 'Mission Vatsalya' scheme.

Aside from the conflict, there are around 539 children of single parents staying in the relief camps, he informed.

Stating that the Department faced a huge challenge when the conflict broke out, the director recounted that four children homes in Moreh were torched and the department had a difficult time rescuing the children.

However, with the help of police, the children from hill districts staying in the valley were sent to the designated locations in the hill areas and vice versa.

Fortunately, none of the children were harmed.

Although the department along with like-minded NGOs and functionalities faced immense challenges, the safe rescue of children relieved all of the distresses, he remarked.

Meanwhile, juveniles arrested along with armed persons are being kept at different observation homes.

Instead of awarding them with strict punishments, the juveniles are being counselled and given proper guidance so that they can return to the right path.

So far, three children from Kamjong, seven from Imphal West, five from Imphal East, and two from Thoubal, who are less than 18 years of age and arrested with weapons are being kept at the observation homes and counselled so as to ensure their return to mainstream life, the director informed.

Regarding the psycholog ical effect of the conflict on children, Uttam said that as the conflict that broke out on May 3 last year intensified during the night or midnight, the displaced children have obviously been traumatised.

Counsellors from NGOs and Childline are working with the help of the district child officers to treat the traumatised children in relief camps via group counselling or therapy.

During group therapy, two-three children have been found to be severely traumatised, making it impossible to undergo group counselling.

These children were taken to the Psychiatric Ward of RIMS or JNIMS and provided one-on-one counselling, thereby helping them to recover speedily.

The children underwent various activities such as playing with toys, drawing and painting, and singing songs, as part of the examination.

The children exhibited his/her mental stress in the paintings, examples of which included their pet dogs being killed by humans, burning of houses or armed people barging into their homes.

The children's mental states were clearly described through the drawings, even if they were not drawn to perfection.

Such children underwent therapy separately.

Apart from this, assistance was sought from a team of doctors from NIMHANS, Bangalore.

The team held a five-day training programme for DCPU teams and chief functionaries of children homes, he added.

Further stating that efforts are being continuously taken up for the wellbeing of children in relief camps, the director gave strict instructions that the children cannot be removed from the relief camps or send outside the state without the permission of the Child Welfare Committee.

DCPUs and CWC have been visiting the relief camps and spreading awareness with regard to possibility of child sexual abuse, POCSO cases and trafficking.

Despite this, there have been cases of children being taken outside the state.

Many of the children, who were ill-treated after leaving the state, have been rescued.

The reason given for sending the children outside the state is for access to better education opportunities.

Even so, the Department is monitoring the situation to prevent any more such cases from repeating in the future, he added.

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