'Save the Children' appeals Assam govt to protect children

Child rights organisation 'Save the Children' today urged the Assam government to immediately intervene and protect about 800 children affected by the recent violence in Baksa and Kokrajhar districts of Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD).
The organisation in a statement also urged the state government to take urgent steps to ensure that children who have been orphaned were staying in a place of safety with their relatives and only when there was no other recourse, should these children be sent to childrens' homes.
The children are currently taking shelter along with their families in different relief-camps of the two districts following the two-day attack since May 1 in which 46 people lost their lives.

Of the 169 children in the camp at Bangarpur village, 64 are in the age group of 0-6 years and many of these children lost their parents in the attack on unarmed villagers and need immediate attention.
The government should also ensure that the children affected by the violence were able to continue their studies in an environment of safety and care, and children living in the camps were provided with psycho-social counselling along with safe drinking water and nutritious food, the statement said.
The organisation deplored the killing of innocent children and other civilians, and appealed all stakeholders to address the structural causes of this violence so that no more innocents, particularly children were maimed, orphaned or killed.