Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on Child Rights: focused on Child trafficking, Child marriage and Child sexual abuse

Different ways to handle child rights in Assam were the focus of the District level Multi-Stakeholder Workshop which took place at Adam’s hotel, Udalguri on 23rd June 2022. The workshop brought more than 50 professionals from different government machineries along with CWC, DCPU, DLSA Secretary, Principal of Udalguri College, Police, District Social Welfare Officer, Childline, Women welfare officer, Women cell staffs, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, CSOs and student union representatives from Udalguri.

The workshop was organised by Caritas India’s partner NEDAN Foundation in collaboration with UNICEF Assam. The duo organizers felt the need to understand the issues in-depth and identify the gaps in this area and create convergence in the entire district for child protection. Mr. Amar Borgoyary, Child Protection Program Manager of NEDAN Foundation led the multi-stakeholder workshop program. NEDAN Coordinator Mr. Sikwna Brahma, and the Centre for Development Udalguri team were present for this from Caritas India’s Anti Human Trafficking (AHT) Team. 

The Principal of Udalguri College, Dr. Luke Daimari shared the issues of child trafficking which is rampant in the area and also articulated the push and pull factors, where he cited poverty and ignorance on the issues of human trafficking. He emphasized everyone to be a watchdog on traffickers.

Mr.Gautam Saharia, District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) of Udalguri gave an insight into the evils of child marriages and the prohibition act. In his deliberation, he strongly articulated that whoever supports child marriages will face the ill consequences including gaonbura/village heads. During his deliberation, he highlighted the portrait of dropouts in Udalguri District with more than 3600, citing that the data had been obtained from the survey conducted in collaboration with the education department.

Mr. Jay Basumatary, District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) Secretary of Udalguri, shared his anxiousness about the rising cases of child sexual abuse and POCSO Act. He spoke on aggravated abuse and non-aggravated abuse where survivors of sexual assault must be compensated accordingly and rehabilitated.

Several sharing and exchanges were followed by diverse civil organizations. Those were eye-opening and lesson-giving instances. And not all points can be positioned at the time, yet the members present recommended four main key takeaways of the multi-stakeholders workshop for action and they are as follows:

1. More CCIs and Aftercare homes to be constructed in the districts.

2. Collaborative actions with all the departments.

3. Regular survey Out of School children.

4. Survivors network forum within the Assam state and Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) to overcome the social stigma against the survivors.

Assam is getting alarmed with the rising cases of child trafficking, despite having a child protection mechanism in all the districts of Assam. Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) has ordered all the District Child Protection Unit to form the Village level Child Protection Committees (VLCPC): · Block Level Child Protection Committee (BLCPC) to form child safety mechanisms within the communities. 

Convergence among concerned stakeholders is the need of the hour; to prevent, protect and provide justice to the survivors. Similar programs are organized and conducted by partners in different locations and districts.