A Rajya Sabha member today pitched for "expanding" the budget for the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, while emphasising that the body must play the role of a "catalyst" in ensuring a safe future for children.
Addressing a function here to mark 10 years of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Rajeev Chandrasekhar, member of the Upper House from Karnataka, said child rights issues, unlike women's rights, have received less attention because voices raised for it "have not been as loud."
"There are issues when it comes to the domain of child rights, and bulk of the work is being done under the framework of NGOs and volunteerism and 'inadequately' funded NCPCR and the state commissions.
"The budget for NCPCR must be expanded by the Centre. I will do whatever I can in my limited capacity for this. But, I also emphasise that NCPCR must play the role of a catalyst in ensuring safety of children," he said.
The Rajya Sabha member also recounted an incident about a child who was allegedly abused in a school in Bengaluru a few years ago, and the helplessness of the victim's parents, which prompted him to work for child rights.
NCPCR was set up in March 2007 under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005, and it functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
"Initially, when it came to issues related to children, only three factors were considered--nutrition, education and labour. Child safety for many years has not been on the radar for some reason.
"But, in the last few years, I believe the pendulum has swung, from apathy and negligence to acknowledging that child safety is not an isolated issue," Chandrasekhar said.
He also pitched for holding national conferences on the theme of child rights as conducted by the NHRC on human rights and conferences of judges on POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.
"Our police and court system is not fully equipped to deal with child rights-related cases and sometimes they face hostile environment. It must be our joint effort to boost the capacity of the system, but NCPCR can and must play the role of a catalyst and bring things together," he said.
NCPCR Chairperson Stuti Kacker said the Commission is also focusing on adolescent age group as it is prone to indulge in crime.
"Also, in partnership with Khadi India, we are conducting charkha-spinning sessions for children, as the exercise has been found to be therapeutic as well, especially for those subjected to abuse," she said.
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