New Delhi: As the second wave of the pandemic hits India, heart-wrenching stories of thousands of children losing their parents, leaving them orphaned and vulnerable are coming to the forefront. With social media flooded with messages and calls for adoption and donation for the welfare of such children, which is in a way a complete violation of the law.
Questions have been raised and there is confusion among people as to what the procedure of adoption is and what should be done to ensure that the children are looked after well.
Given the growing concern regarding children losing their parents due to Covid-19, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has sent a letter to the Chief Secretary of all states and UTs to ensure that children are protected as per the provision of Juvenile Justice Act 2015.
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Speaking to ETV Bharat, NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said, "We have alerted all the district child protection units and child welfare committees through the Chief Secretaries and all the child welfare police officers across the country through the DGP’s. We are in continuous touch with the district child protection unit through NCPCR and we are continuously monitoring the situation. NCPCR is receiving complaints and redressal of grievances and reaching out to the children."
“Every child who has lost its parents (one or both) is mandatory to be produced before Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Then the authority of CWC conducts an inquiry based on the Social Investigation Report of the Child. The Social Investigation report is to be prepared by the Child Welfare Officer, which contains all the relevant information about the child. Based on that, the CWC orders the individual their plan for the child, which includes whether the child should live with the guardian or Child care institutions etc”, he told ETV Bharat.
Moreover, NCPCR is in touch with the authorities to ensure other benefits to the child and that other entitlement like the child’s Right to property, compensation amount, and insurance amount is protected. We also ensure that the bank account detail of the parents should be shared with the CWC. Therefore, by highlighting these issues, we are making sure that no rights of children are violated, Kanoongo added.
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On May 2, in the letter sent to the Chief Secretary of all states/UT’s, the Commission said that it has been made aware of instances where it has been seen that many NGOs are advertising about the children who have become orphan after losing both their parents to Covid-19.
"In such a sad situation of a surge in Covid-19 cases in the country situations are arising where the child has lost both its parents or is found to be abandoned. It may be noted that the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 provides for the procedure to be followed for children who have lost their family support and have become a child in need of care and protection”, it added.
Notably, the procedure under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 ensures that the child is provided with all the minimum standards of care and the rights of such child are upheld and protected. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that these children who have lost their family support must be produced before the child protection authorities of the district and information about these children must be shared with the authorities.
"These children who have lost family support due to Covid-19 or are found to be abandoned due to the loss of parents to Covid-19 are a child in need of care and protection as per the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and such children must be produced before the Child Welfare Committee as per Section 31 of Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, so that necessary orders for the care of the child can be passed. Every individual, entity, organisation, NGO must ensure that if any such information is received for orphaned and abandoned children by them during these Covid times, then the same must be informed to the childline helping 1098 and the child must be produced before the Child Welfare Committee of the district”, NCPCR reiterated.
Earlier today, the Ministry of Women and Child Development had laid out the procedure for the rehabilitation of children who have lost their parents to the Covid-19 pandemic. The ministry advised the general public to refrain from encouraging or engaging in such action which is in contravention to legal provisions.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced Rs 50,000 relief for families of people, who have died of Covid-19, free education, and Rs 2,500 monthly for those orphaned because of the pandemic till the age of 25.
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