National workshop on the issue of promoting alternative care for the children in Rajasthan began today. The workshop is being organized jointly by Foster Care India, an Udaipur based NGO and Save the Children in collaboration with District Child Protection Units of Udaipur and Dungarpur.

In India, 70 percent of the children placed under institutional care, be it government or private, are exposed to physical or sexual abuse, surveys claim. Such children are emotionally depreviated, have interpersonal problems, face delayed development and undergo emotional trauma compared to their peers leading a normal childhood. Institutionalization should be the last option for the rehabilitation of children in need of care and protection.  This was an excerpt of the first day interaction.

Dr. Neelima Mehta, Professor and consultant on Child Protection cited numerous cases on the burning issue. She said that in Mumbai the children of sex workers need protection for night hours while in other cities across the country the cases may differ as per geographic, economic and cultural conditions.

Children placed in custody of institutions may have their basic needs like food, clothes and education fulfilled but will lack personal attention and learn to fail to trust others, she elaborated.

‘It should be the beginning of the end of the institution since what family can provide to a child, nothing else can’ asserted Ian Anand Forber, founder president of Foster Care India.

Govind Beniwal, member of state’s child commission addressed various problems across the state regarding rehabilitation of the children in need for care and protection.

Ramakanta Satapathy from Save the Children highlighted the importance of family care and siblings for the all round development of a child.

The recommendations and feedbacks received during the conference will be compiled and sent to the State and the Central government to serve as suggestion document for framing laws on the child rights issue, informed Devashish Mishra, the co-ordinator of the event.

CWC chairperson Manju Verma, members Dr Dharmesh Jain, Bhagwat Singh Sankhla and other officials from the education department marked their presence on the occasion.

inputs by Geetha Sunil