Form a task force to address needs of children: child rights commission

In the wake of experts warning that the possible third wave of pandemic will affect children, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has recommended that the State government form task forces involving paediatricians at the district level.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, the commission has asked that infrastructure be put in place to treat children before the next wave strikes. This includes reservation of beds for children in both government and private hospitals.

The committee has also asked the State government to form supervisory committees to protect the rights of children who have lost both their parents owing to COVID-19.

“There are many cases of children losing both their parents in the State. Because of the lockdown it is becoming difficult to protect the rights of those children. There are chances of them becoming victims of human trafficking, illegal adoption, and others,” stated the commission in the letter, adding that hospitals should be established along the lines of those launched by the Maharashtra government to treat orphaned children.

It also underscored the need to form a supervisory committee at both the district and the State levels. Members of the supervisory committee should include officers from the Women and Child Development, the Education, the Social Welfare, the Health and Family Welfare Departments, the police, and others.

The State government has already appointed a nodal officer to provide all necessary facilities and support to the orphaned children.

.