Maneka Gandhi, Javadekar to meet over child abuse in schools

Taking note of child abuse incidents in schools, Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi and Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar will meet on Wednesday to review the situation, officials said on Tuesday.

Officials said that Maneka Gandhi called and requested Javadekar to consider suggestions like having women employees as the support staff and bus drivers and conductors in the schools.

She also suggested screening of educational films on child sexual abuse in schools, popularising POCSO e-Box and Childline 1098 through NCERT publications, and having strict norms for employing support staff.

Gandhi has also written to Javadekar with suggestions.

"The Ministry of Women and Child Development has already started its outreach campaign for protection of children through electronic as well as social media," an official statement said.

Gandhi said that the basic objective of the meeting is to develop a set of guidelines and protocols which schools must follow so that children remain protected from any kind of abuse or physical or mental harm.

She said that parents, guardians and teachers should remain vigilant about children as well as their behaviour and any suspected situation should be reported immediately on Childline No.1098 and the POCSO e-Box.

The meeting will be co-chaired by the two ministers, and will be attended by officials from the two ministries, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, CBSE, NCERT and the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan.

This comes after a 7-year-old child was found murdered in a Gurugram school sparking massive public outrage.

--IANS

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