NCPCR leads State conference on child rights

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), along with the School Education Department, held a State-level conference on key child right issues with a focus on education, health, the Juvenile Justice Act and the POCSO Act here on Monday.

NCPCR Member Secretary Sanjeev Sharma, in his address, stressed the urgent need for addressing children’s mental health, and said schools must play a central role in tackling rising psychological challenges.

Child-rights violations are not just statistical points but narratives that affect individual lives and the future of the nation, he said. He explained NCPCR’s commitment to strengthening institutional capacity through workshops and training, and revealed that in the last six months, it disposed of over 26,000 cases, rescued approximately 2,800 children and repatriated around 1,800 to child care institutions in their home districts.

He threw light on NCPCR initiatives such as developing an AI-driven mechanism to identify Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), supporting children who stay with mothers in prisons, safeguarding the rights of transgender children and promoting healthy lifestyles in schools via the “sugar board” initiative to combat childhood obesity. He urged the Telangana government and the SCPCR to issue advisories encouraging adoption of the model across the State.

According to SCPCR chairperson K. Seetha Dayakar Reddy, the need is for collective accountability across departments and a greater sensitivity toward children at all levels. A strong convergence among government departments and various stakeholders is a must to enforce child rights legislation more effectively, she said.

Technical sessions included themes such as school accountability in ensuring child safety, health and mental health challenges including childhood obesity, implementation hurdles under the POCSO Act, infrastructure and capacity gaps in Juvenile Justice and a practical safety simulation led by the police.

The conference made a set of recommendations, including training for teachers and staff, strengthening Child Welfare Committees, Juvenile Justice Boards and aftercare services, integrating Track-Child with police databases, reducing underreporting of child sexual offences, trauma-informed counselling, regular safety audits in schools and mock safety drills.