UNICEF-NSS to hold campaigns on ending violence against children

With a view to creating awareness on preventing violence against children and developing a sustained and meaningful engagement between the community and stakeholders departments of the government, UNICEF and NSS is organizing a campaign on ending violence against children.

Titled as “Surakshit Para, Surakshit Laikaman”, the campaign was inaugurated on Friday in Raipur at Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University.

Pramod Dubey, Mayor Raipur Municipal Corporation was present as Chief Guest of the inaugural programme.

In his address e, Dubey congratulated UNICEF and NSS for the initiative.

He added that this campaign will create mass awareness about child rights and will also sensitize the society about how violence damages the tender mind of children and adversely affects their overall growth.

Dubey further said that it will help in personality enhancement of the cadets and make them responsible citizens of the country.

The campaign will be held in 13 aspirational districts in the state: Ambikapur, Bastar, Bijapur, Durg, Dantewada, Kanker, Kondagaon, Korba, Mahasamund, Rajnandgaon, Raipur, Narayanpur and Sukma.

The campaign is guided by the two-pronged approach — Raising awareness and building capacity of functionaries of stakeholder departments namely Department of Women and Child Development, Police, Department of School Education and Department of Health and Family Welfare.

Bala Melas will be organized at each of the districts which will provide an opportunity for NSS volunteers, NYKS leaders, NCC cadets and school children to understand child rights and the role NSS volunteers can play to ensure children have access to services and schemes.

As part of the campaign, volunteers will engage with functionaries of various stakeholder departments like anganwadis workers, teachers, School management committees, police, health workers and children.

Volunteers will also engage with school students to orient them on child rights with a focus on ending violence against children. They will also lead campaign activities in the respective villages with the active participation of representatives of stakeholder departments.The volunteers will also be encouraged to monitor various child-specific services and schemes available at anganwadis, schools, health centres, police and others. The group will focus on reporting, referral and address of cases of violence against children.