In the wake of growing concerns over increasing number of offences against children, the government has constituted the Union Territory of Puducherry Commission for Protection of Child Rights with a chairperson and six members for implementing Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005. A notification in this regard was issued on Jan 27 and put up in the government website, but the commission is yet to commence functioning.
The government is in the process of appointing the chairperson and members of the commission as quickly as possible, Welfare Minister P Rajavelu told Express. “Already a few applicants had been shortlisted for appointment as chairperson. Within the next few days the Chairperson will be appointed followed by the members,” he said.
The demand for setting up a State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) has become louder in the last two years, particularly from civil society activists following the increasing cases of child abuse and sexual harassment. Recently, several cases of sexual abuse of girl students in government schools by teachers have come to light, besides a few cases of molestation of primary school children.
Though Puducherry has a Child Rights Committee and its interventions have offered some resolve to the issue, there was a strong need of the Commission for punitive action. There have also been several cases of child marriage and some attempted child marriages, stopped through the timely intervention of Vidyaa Ramkumar, Chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, CRC. CWC has also intervened in several cases of sexual abuse.