Poonch: Rajiv Khajuria, Former member SCOC and Founder Emeritus National Development Foundation, NDF called upon the stakeholders to promote and strengthen the Child Protection Committees (CPCs) which is a community based rehabilitation mechanism for care and protection of children in villages as laid down in ICPS Scheme.

He was speaking in capacity building programme of child welfare committee, JJ Board, DCPU, Superintendents of CCIs and supervisors/workers from ICDS, which was attended by around sixty five people including Principal Magistrate JJB Som lal, Chairperson CWC Anwar Hussain shah and District Child Protection Officer Shakeel Ahmed. Vikram Srivastava from ” I- thought” Noida was Resource person and trained Participants on various aspects of Juvenile Justice Act, ICPS And Child rights in an interactive way. Som Lal, Principal Magistrate JJB chaired the afternoon session and informed that the adjudication of the cases of children is done in a child friendly manner and is in the best interest of the children. He thanked NDF for organizing joint workshop of all stake holders . He elaborated that JJ Act is a reformative legislation and ensure everything in the best interest of the children.

The programme was organized by National Development Foundation J&K Jammu In collaboration with Mission Directorate ICPS with support from European Union at conference hall Dak Bungalow Poonch. Rajiv Khajuria further elaborated and sensitized the house in local language on how the village child protection committees function in light of the experience of NDF, which has piloted the child protection committees in Poonch, Rajouri, Jammu and Samba. He invited the participants to come and interact with the existing CPCs and children groups facilitated by the NDF to support the strengthening of CPCs. He also stressed upon the need of active block level and district level CPCs to enhance reporting and early addressing and resolving the issues of children. Participants raised many queries with regard to rehabilitation and care and protection of children in light of Govt. schemes and JJ act.