MCPCR issues advisory on rights of displaced children
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 10 2024: The Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR) has issued a set of advisories to protect the basic rights of displaced children taking refuge in the State.

Education

The advisory noted that all children in the 6-18 age group taking refuge at relief camps or elsewhere should be enrolled in the neighbourhood schools and make sure there are no children deprived of continuing his/her education in the same school if the school is unaffected by the violence.

It further said that school authority should not discontinue the child's study just because of parents' or guar-dians' inability to pay tuition fees etc, if parents or guardians have lost their liveli- hood/occupation as a result of the conflict.

Admission and other fees of children who were compelled to leave the school due to the conflict must be refunded if the same is of substantial amount, the advisory continued and asked the Education Department to make sure all children are enrolled in schools and provide their uniforms, text- books and stationery items on priority basis.

Further stating that private schools must provide 25 per cent reservation under RTE norms, sponsorship and concessional fee facilities to the needy displaced students as per their capacity and case to case basis, the MCPCR maintained that remedial education progra-mmes must be provided to the needy displaced children on regular and need-based basis.

Every relief centre must reserve a "Learning Centre" exclusively for children, where the children can free-ly read/study/do life skill activities, recreational programmes and revise what they have been taught in schools, the advisory continued while urging all concerned to update the number of children in each and every relief centre and monitor their migration or placement if any, to ensure no child falls in the hands of child traffickers, who may lure the children and parents with false promises of good education, vocational training or high paying jobs which are nothing but the clandestine modus-operandi of human trafficking.

The advisory went on to state that career link vocational training and life skill development programmes must be provided to the students in a sustained manner in all relief camps and displaced children must be sent to State or Central Government funded residential schools as far as possible on top priority basis.

Right to food

The MCPCR said that every child in 0-6 age group residing in relief camps must be provided all the provision of SNP and other facilities of ICDS including routine immunization while those in the 6-18 age group must be provided hot-cook meal (either as breakfast, midday meal or after-school tiffin) irrespective of the status of the admission of the child in Government, aided or private schools.

Saying that no child residing in the relief centers" should be deprived of their right to receive a hot-cooked meal a day, the advisory noted that special consideration must be given to cater to the pressing needs of children affected by the conflict and already been declared as CNCP by the Child Welfare Committees.

Medical, psycho-social care and intervention

The MCPCR said that regular medical check-ups of the children with free medicine facilities must be taken up by the relevant authorities and departments.

Stating that State level, district and zonal level panel of medical, clinical psychologists, psychologist, social workers and para-medic professionals must be made available to look after the psycho-social, emotional wellbeing of the displaced children, the advisory continued that facilities for counselling, treatment and life skill educations must be readily available as and when required and for that a 24x7 medical helpline must be made operational.

Girl children and adolescent girls must be provided adequate support to maintain their personal hygiene and care by providing requirements such as sanitary pads, toiletry items, inner-wears etc from time to time, it added.

Recreation, sports, art and culture

The commission said that the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, Polo Clubs, Social Welfare Department, Sports Authority of India, Central Sports University, Art & Culture, JN Dance Academy, Government Dance College, Arts College, University of Culture etc should proactively and collectively work to provide therapeutic and career link intervention comprising of games and sports, dance, music, folk music, folk dance, classical dance forms, martial arts, drawings, physical and mental health exercises, to the displaced children.

Responsibility of social media and mass media

The MCPCR said that no victim child, specially who lost their parents in the ongoing conflict should be used as publicity objects only to over sensationalize or to attract target audience through YouTube, Facebook, reels, news, podcast and other social media platforms, without caring for the possible negative impacts to mental and emotional wellbeing of the child/children.

All the admins of Social Media platforms should work with utmost reasoning, due restrains, keeping in precautionary views upon emotional, psychological, social impacts to the children and society at large by the very media contents being uploaded, it added.

Gender sensitive approach

Specific sensible arrangements for the gender non-conforming community or third gender community should be taken up and gender friendly space and environment must be made available to prevent any social stigma and discriminations to this marginalized community in relief camps, said the MCPCR and continued that specific needs such as separate washrooms, bedrooms and privacy of this community must be looked after accordingly by all concerned.

Differently abled children

The advisory said that special provisions must be arranged for the differently- able children, who are displaced and immediate process should be taken up to issue Disability Certificates to such children and provide every available facility meant for persons with disabilities to them.

Strict monitoring

The commission said that the Police, Child Welfare Committees, DCPUs, VLCPCs, Specially Women Police Stations, Cyber Crime Police Units should be always alert in order to regularly monitor the living conditions of children in relief camps.

All relevant agencies should take up preventive measures and process to deal with sexual assault cases, or any other cases related to child trafficking, child soldier recruitment, child labour, child marriage etc, it added.

Saying that Child Welfare Committees shall ensure that all the displaced children are declared as the CNCP without fail, the commission continued that these displaced children (CNCP) must be included in the beneficiary list of sponsorship schemes under Mission Vatsalya besides imparting other facilities meant for CNCP.

Apex bodies of media such as AMWJU and Editors Guilds of Manipur (EGM) must be vigilant and prescribe ethical guidelines for print and electronic media including admins, who frequently upload videos, films, interviews of victim children on different platforms control inappropriate, highly sensationalized or provocative exposure of displaced children, or orphaned children as a result of the conflict, the advisory concluded.

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