NCPCR issues protocol for repatriation of rescued children

Vijayawada: National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) issued protocol to be followed the states and child welfare committees for the repatriation of children in need of care and protection. The NCOCR launched the portal Go Home and Reunion (GHAR) to upload the details of the children in need of care and protection and their repatriation from one place to other place as part of reunion with their parents. Children are rescued from the workplaces, public places and missing from their parents. The Central government is taking measures to maintain national level data of missing children, rescued children and it will be very useful to parents to find their missing children.

The NCPCR portal (GHAR) enables digital transfer of data between authorities which will be helpful to reunite the children with their families.

Various government departments and NGOs rescue the children in need of care and protection. These children, who were brought before juvenile justice boards and child welfare committees (CWCs), were found to be belongings to some other place but it was difficult to repatriate them back to their homes. Due to various reasons it is difficult to find their parents and repatriation i.e. reuniting with the parents and other family members.

The NCPCR felt that co-ordination with statutory bodies in the home areas was required to ensure safe repatriation and ongoing support. There GHAR portal is launched for information sharing between authorities and to ensure clear guidance about their responsibilities.

N Ram Mohan, secretary, HELP, an NGO involved in child welfare, said national data maintained in web portal will be very useful to the parents and other family members to find their children. He said children go missing at the railway stations and other public places. Besides, children are rescued at work places, brothel houses and other places.

The NCPCR has entrusted some responsibilities to the child welfare committees for repatriation of a child. Case file to be opened and basic information of child is prepared. Note of the proceedings of CWC to be prepared and uploaded. Information should be provided to home area CWC via GHAR portal and information is provided to the district magistrate of the district where the child has been found.

Escort order should be passed in case of female child, the escort should be female. The CWC shall enquire into the whereabouts of the child with the assistance of the district child protection units (DCPUs) and initiate the process of repatriation for the child to the native district through DCPU.

The child should be given any immediate assistance as required by the child and health screening and counselling of the child should be mandatorily done at the time of production. If the child belongs to the same state but different district, the CWC should transfer the child to other district through the DCPU as per Rule 81 of the Juvenile Justice Rules 2016.