Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network –Mangaluru (DV)

Mangaluru, Mar 17: Karnataka State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) chairperson Dr Antony Sebastian on Wednesday March 17 took to task the officials of the police department and District Child Protection Unit for not registering an FIR in Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) under the limits of the police commissionerate.

Chairing the progressive review meeting on RTE ACT, POCSO Act-2012, and Juvenile Justice Act-2015 here at Netravati hall in zilla panchayat office, Dr Antony questioned why the officials failed to register FIR in the POCSO case. He questioned if it had not come to the notice of the police department.

Later, he said that the KSCPCR will take Suo Moto cognizance in regards to the case.

Meanwhile, Child Welfare Committee (CWC) chairman Renni D'Souza said that after it came to the notice of CWC, it had issued notice to the police department and to deputy commissioner’s office in this regard.

Officials of KSCPCR took the Labour department officer to task for stating that they have booked only two cases of child labour for the past one year. "Today, we have found nearly 8 children working in the fish market. How many factories are there in the district? Instead of giving such numbers, let us make the district as child labour-free district," they said.

Dr Antony ordered the labour department to hold a survey to identify the child labourers in the district and submit the report to the commission within a month.

Especially in POCSO cases, the officials are having a lack of convergence and coordination, the commission observed.

The commission also sought a report from DHO A Ramachandra Byari on the below 18-year-old pregnancy cases in the district.

Seeking information on the cases under the Juvenile Justice Act, Dr Antony said, "Apprehending children for petty and serious cases is a violation of child rights."

Taking the police officer who came on behalf of the Special Juvenile Protection Unit to task on 55 untraced missing children in the district, Dr Antony said, "What will you answer the parents of the children?”

A member also asked why the officials cannot be booked under dereliction of duty.

DDPI Malleswamy said that in the district, as many as 32,000 turned up to enrol their names for the SSLC exam adding that the district has 79% attendance to the schools.

Shilpa A G, member secretary of Dakshina Kannada District Legal Services Authority (DKDLSA) asked DDPI Malleswamy to take steps from the department so that the various facilities and schemes of special school, education and rehabilitation centers, reach the endosulfan affected children and also arrange transportation facilities for the children to reach the rehabilitation or skill centers. She also asked the department to coordinate with the district administration in providing the facilities of various departments to these children.

Zilla panchayat CEO N Kumar, commission members Parashuram ML, D Shankarappa, H C Raghavendra, Ashok G Yeragatti, Bharathi and others were present.