NGOs to be roped in for welfare of street children in Delhi

NEW DELHI:   The Delhi government has framed a policy for the welfare of street children in view of the pandemic situation which stresses on the role of various stakeholders in promoting Covid- appropriate behaviour and generating awareness about the infection.

Prepared by the Delhi government’s Women and Child Development Department (WCD), the policy encourages a direct participation of civil society organisations and highlights their role in identifying hotspot areas and distributing masks among them.

It also suggests that district administration could consider training the children rescued from streets (on attaining the age of 18 years) as Civil Defense Volunteer, since it will provide them respectable employment, and they, owing to their own experience, can also assist many other children who come from a similar background.

The policy also proposes the composition of District Child Protection Convergence Committee (DCPCC) over and above the District Task Force for rescuing children. The DCPCC will have the district magistrate as chairperson alongwith other members, including two from NGOs and the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights representatives.

The scope of the work of NGOs shall include bringing all cases of children identified by them to their respective Child Welfare Committee and work with departments concerned for their rehabilitation.