SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, Sept. 15: The Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority (JHALSA) will launch a massive 100-day campaign on September 17 to identify the children in need of care and protection and link them with child protection schemes, so that they may never become victims of trafficking, child labour, child marriage, child abuse, etc.
Brainchild of JHALSA Executive Chairman Justice S Chandrashekhar, the Authority has roped in the State government’s women and child welfare department and Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation to run the campaign in close coordination with the village-level child protection committees (VLCPCs).
Supreme Court judge-cum-NALSA Executive Chairman Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul is scheduled to launch the campaign at a programme to be held at Jharkhand Judicial Academy.
Notably, Jharkhand, according to the latest figure of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), is among the top ten states in the country which account for 81.4 percent of the total human trafficking cases in the country. Moreover, 90 percent of girls who are victims of human trafficking are tribals who are sent to Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab. They are sold and bought through placement agencies in these states.
The campaign will be conducted in the area of potential child trafficking to protect those children from being trafficked. Their educational, nutritional, and other development needs will be taken care of by the DCPU and Dept. of Women, Child Development and Social Security, Govt of Jharkhand.
Under the programme, the children identified and brought under the child protection ecosystem of the State will be monitored at the level of VLCPC, DCPU, and CWC till they attain 18 years of age or they are completely safe in the family-based care system.
Special camps will be held for victim emancipation where victims will be identified and paid compensation and grants as mandated by laws.
The campaign will also cover the jails in the State to map all such inmates who: (i) Have been granted bail, yet, not been jailed out (ii) are convicts, but, no appeal filed (iii) are covered u/s 436A Cr.P.C.
The programme will be executed through 24 district legal services authorities (DLSAs), six sub-divisional legal services authorities, and 395 legal services clinics (LSCs).
Under the programme, at least one visit to jail will be made in each of the four phases for the identification of inmates who are in need of legal services/medicare or psychological counseling.
Besides, one mega legal services-cum-empowerment camp will be held in each district during the 100-day span.
The intensive drive will also cover the Observation Homes to identify such children: (i) Who have been there for more than 3 years. (ii) Who are in need of legal representation (iii) Who need medical treatment/counselling.
In fact, the intensive campaign will reach out to over 29000 villages of Jharkhand where the VLCPCs are working.
During the campaign, the DLSAs have also been asked to ensure that a wide range of subject areas and beneficiaries, including empowerment of women including remedies against domestic abuse, sexual offenses, discrimination, sexual harassment at the workplace, trafficking, etc., various welfare schemes and policies of the government including victim compensation schemes are also covered.
The DLSAs have also been asked to create awareness about Motor Accident Claims matters; Rights of persons during arrest & detention (in collaboration with police & prison department); Rights and entitlements of persons with disabilities, senior citizens, transgender persons, SC/STs, and other marginalized groups; Sensitization of criminal justice stakeholders on right of legal assistance and functioning of legal services authorities (in collaboration with judicial, police or prison training academy); Alternate dispute redressal mechanisms and process of availing them, and awareness on POCSO Act.
In fact, the JHALSA has been getting ready to launch the 100-day campaign as part of celebrating the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ for quite some time. It has equipped the members of the Child welfare committees, para legal volunteers, and several members of the village-level child protection committees imparting them adequate training to take the campaign at the grassroots level.
“Each village-level child protection committee (VLCPC) has nine members. There are 29000 villages in Jharkhand. So, we will be training around 2.5 lakh VLCPC members in due course to make the campaign successful and sustainable to eradicate child trafficking in Jharkhand,” said Justice Chandrashekhar.
