NCPCR urges migrant workers to stay put wherever they are

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, apex child rights body NCPCR on Saturday urged migrant labourers to stay put wherever they are and make decision in the best interest of their children.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights advised state governments to accommodate children living on streets in school buildings to ensure that they are protected from coronavirus.

Talking about children of families involved in seasonal labour, NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said adequate arrangements of basic facilities such as food, shelter and medicines shall be made available at the local level by panchayats or municipal authorities.

"For this, such families and children should be enlisted by the District Child Protection Unit. The entire process and status of children is to be monitored and maintained by the district collector/district magistrate," he said in a letter to all the state governments.

India is under the biggest lockdown with around 1.3 billion people asked to stay home in view of the coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed 19 lives and infected over 800 people in the country.

The 21-day lockdown imposed from Tuesday midnight has triggered a mass exodus of migrant workers from cities in several states to their villages, raising concerns that the COVID-19 outbreak could turn into a humanitarian crisis.

It has also been observed by the commission that due to the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus infection, large number of migrant laborers who work in other states have taken the road to reach their homes. Some children may be moving with their families or alone or in group of migrant laborers from other states, Kanoongo said.

In the best interest of the child, such families/children should remain in the same place where they are, he added.