ITANAGAR, 16 Aug: Expressing concern over the alarming increase in crimes against children in the state, the Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society (APWWS) on Friday submitted a representation to the Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR), seeking prompt and effective action to ensure a safer environment for the state’s children.
A team of the APWWS led by its president Kani Nada Maling met APSCPCR Chairperson Ratan Anya and submitted a representation, highlighting the problem of bullying in schools, and urged the commission to ensure proper regulation and adherence to guidelines by all residential and private schools, with accountability fixed in case of violations; conduct thorough investigation into reports of bullying incidents and take appropriate action against the perpetrators; implement a comprehensive anti-bullying policy in schools, with clear guidelines and protocols for prevention and intervention; organise awareness programmes and workshops for students, teachers and parents on the dangers of bullying; and establish a helpline for students to report bullying and seek support confidentially.
The APWWS also expressed concern over sexual exploitation and trafficking of minor girls, and sought fast-tracking of all such cases, under the supervision of the APSCPCR, to ensure justice and protection for the victims.
The society also called for “mandatory identity verification in hotels, restaurants, resorts, pubs, parloursand spas.”
“To further safeguard children from exploitation, it is imperative that strict identity verification processes be mandated for all employees in hotels, restaurants, resorts, pubs, parlours and spa. Ensuring that minors are not employed in such establishments is crucial in preventing their involvement in inappropriate and illegal activities,” the APPWS stated.
It demanded conducting “thorough background checks and verification of the age of the employees, ensuring that minors are not engaged in workplaces,” and added that, “in case of non-compliance, cancel their trading licenses.”
The APWWS said also that “when issuing trading licence to such establishments, the owners should be asked to provide an undertaking regarding prohibition of underage employment,” adding that there should be “strict implementation of the regulations for the timing of operations of bars, and mandatory checking of identity cards to ensure that no juvenile is allowed entry inside any bar.”
APSCPCR Chairperson Ratan Anya apprised the APWWS team of the actions taken by the commission,and informed the APWWS members about the upcoming coordination meeting with various stakeholders.
She appealed to the APWWS to extend full support to the commission in raising awareness and developing standard operating procedures to address these critical issues.
