Quarterly Meeting of District Child Protection Unit Concludes

Udaipur: The quarterly meeting of the District Child Protection Unit was held on Wednesday, chaired by Rajeev Dwivedi, the Additional District Collector (Urban), at the Collectorate Auditorium. During the meeting, he urged all relevant departmental officials and representatives of self-help organizations to work together at all levels for the holistic development of children.

He emphasized that children's rights should not be infringed upon in any way and that unnecessary decisions should not be imposed upon them. The Education Department officials were directed to work on strategies to reintegrate drop-out children into the education system and prevent such situations. During the meeting, Mrs. Meena Sharma, Assistant Director of Child Welfare, provided updates on various schemes related to child protection and the status of children residing in government and non-governmental residential homes in the district.

Ms. Yashoda Paniya, Deputy Chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee, proposed significant suggestions during the meeting. Ms. Sindhu Binujit, UNICEF's Child Protection Consultant, shared information about the Community Policing to Build Awareness and Trust (COMBAT) program initiated by the police department to combat substance abuse. She recommended conducting workshops and campaigns for this purpose. Kusum, a representative of the Foster Care Institution, suggested methods to connect children through non-institutionalized care plans.

Mr. Govind Lal, Special Adolescent Police Unit Officer-in-Charge, also presented his insights. During the meeting, a poster related to the Vatsalya Plan was unveiled by the Child Rights Unit. The poster provides information about the Child Rights Help Desk and the E-Box, and it will be displayed in public places and child care institutions across the district.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the Education Department, Labor Department, Social Justice and Empowerment Department, as well as active self-help organizations in the district, with over 40 participants, including Akash Upadhyay and Bharat Khokhar, present.