Officials told to protect child rights

Ongole: The Andhra Pradesh Child Rights Protection Commission member Battula Padmavathi participated as a chief guest in the ‘Regional level Convergence Meeting with the Child-related Departments’ held in Ongole on Thursday.

Speaking at the meeting, Padmavathi said that officials of all departments should take part in the protection of the rights of the children.

The meeting was held under the direction of Women Development and Child Welfare Department project director Madhuri, and coordinated by the Child Rights Advocacy Foundation. Officials from the Women and child welfare department, Child Development and protection, labour, education, police, medical and health, rural development, BC welfare, tribal welfare departments, representatives from the voluntary organisations working with children from the Guntur, Bapatla, Prakasam, Palnadu and Nellore districts participated.

Padmavathi inquired officials about the number of cases of child labour booked in the five districts, and details of the matching grant received and the details of the beneficiaries and questioned police on the number of child marriages stopped, the number of FIRs they booked and the follow-up reports on the incidents. The commission is making recommendations to the government for 100 per cent protection of child rights.