The Government of India has issued guidelines for the care and protection of the children affected by COVID-19 and fixed responsibilities for the states, district magistrates, police, Panchayati Raj institutions, and urban local bodies.
Women and Child Development Ministry Secretary Ram Mohan Mishra has written a letter to the chief secretaries of all the states and Union territories. To streamline and facilitate the actions being taken, the official letter enlisted the significant responsibilities of the primary duty holders to ensure the best interest of children during the pandemic.
Take a note.
- The states need to identify children in distress through outreach and surveys, prepare a database with a profile of each child, along with the details of their specific needs and requirements, and ensure that the data is uploaded on the Track Child portal.
- The states and Union territories need to temporarily allocate child care institutions to house those children whose parents have been unwell due to Covid-19 and provide the necessary support to them, in case the extended family is not available to take care of them.
- The Women and Child Development Ministry have asked the states to issue directions to hospitals to collect the contact details of trustworthy persons known to the patients in the admission form, to be contacted for taking care of children in the case of any eventuality.
- The states have been asked to make suitable arrangements for isolation facilities within the CCIs to take care of the children suffering from Covid-19 and prepare a roaster of child psychologists or counselors to visit the facilities and interact with the children.
- The states have been asked to launch a local helpline number manned by experts for giving psychosocial care or support to children in distress.
- The government said that the DMs need to create a district-level multi-departmental task force to map the needs, monitor the progress, and ensure that all benefits reach the affected children and all civil society organizations may be asked to positively inform the Child Welfare Committee or the District Child Protection Unit about any vulnerable child.
- The district police teams must stay alert and vigilant to prevent trafficking of children, illegal adoption, child marriage, child labor, or any other kind of abuse.
- The Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies must ensure that the child protection committees at the Panchayat level identify and inform the district administration or the District Child Protection Unit about children in distress.
- It must be ensured that all children orphaned during the Covid-19 pandemic are provided free education through government day or residential schools.