E-Paper
WCD ministry initiative: Online sessions for childcare workers
From young women in Hamirpur slum not receiving sanitary pads amid the national lockdown to runaway children in a Moga childcare institute(CCI) not wanting to go
From young women in Hamirpur slum not receiving sanitary pads amid the national lockdown to runaway children in a Moga childcare institute(CCI) not wanting to go home, women and child development minister Smriti Irani had to take queries on all kinds of problems during a live orientation session for childcare workers earlier this week.
Following Supreme Court orders which listed out steps that child welfare committees (CWCs), juvenile justice boards (JJBs) among others must take to ensure the safety of children in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ministry started these live online sessions on April 3.
So far, most of the sessions have been hosted by the WCD ministry officials with the help of experts from UNICEF, NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences), ChildLine, among others where care workers are instructed on how to look after women and children during the unfolding coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking to an audience of over 825 officials during one of the live sessions, Irani asked the Hamirpur NGO worker to get in touch with the district officials.
Irani, who has attended two such sessions till now, also asked frontline the workers such as anganwadi workers, to download the Aarogya Setu app, and told them that protective gear will be provided to those delivering ration.
The rising cases of violence against women and children were discussed in some sessions and emergency helpline ChildLine highlighted that it saw a 50% jump in distress calls, with many children asking for food. Maximum distress calls regarding Covid-19 were received from Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Punjab.
On Friday, the UNICEF in a statement said as over 99% of children and young people under 18 worldwide live in one of the 186 countries which have placed some form of restrictions on movement, childcare officials must pledge to keep children healthy and safe.
