Members of Child Welfare Comm. get the table test

The Nagaland government has instated a new bench of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for the term July 2016-June 2019.

An “induction training” program for new members of the CWC was conducted by the State Child Protection Society of Nagaland. The event was conducted from the 26th of July and till the 27^th in the premises of Mount Tabor Retreat House in Kohima district.

Members from different parts of Nagaland attended said training. This is the third batch since the inception of the CWC.

This five-member bench is the competent authority of their respective district to handling cases of children in need of care and protection. The CWC as a bench enjoys the status of judicial magistrate (first class) in dealing with such case.

The two-day training event began with the launch of a guide for CWC members when dealing with cases of children in need of care and protection.

The resource person for the event was K. Ela, director of local nongovernmental organization, the Dimapur-based Prodigal Home. Ela raised concerns over the public ignorance about the existence of CWCs and the importance of these institutions.

The resource person also spoke about a report on the budget for children in Nagaland which she said showed ‘alarming figures in issues relating to children in Nagaland.’

Ela challenged the participants to return to their respective district and to ‘lay the ground work in order to enable children to avail various services that have been created for them.’

The training program also included discourses on topics of statutes, adoption, Child Rights, and Child Psychology, among others.

Confusion because state govt. hasn’t even adopted statute

A number of questions and queries were raised by the newly elected CWC members on the topics that were discussed during the event. For instance, there was confusion over following either the Juvenile Justice Act of 2000 or the 2015 act as the Nagaland government still hadn’t adopted the Juvenile Justice Act (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015.

The State Child Protection Society assured the members that it would take up the issue with the state government. But, the leaders said, it would be in the best interest of all stakeholders if the Nagaland government would address the matter at the earliest and clear the confusion without further delay so that the children would not be affected by it.’

(Al Ngullie, July 27, 2016; Eastern Mirror)

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