Assam Police Leads Dialogue for Enhanced Child Protection System

Assam Police, through its Sishu Mitra Programme, organized a State-Level Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue with the aim of strengthening coordination and addressing systemic gaps in the child protection ecosystem. This initiative seeks to enhance institutional response mechanisms and urge stakeholders to share responsibility for child protection, rehabilitation, and justice as per legal mandates.

Launched in 2019, the Sishu Mitra Programme is a groundbreaking effort partnering with UTSAH Child Rights Organisation and UNICEF to foster child-friendly policing in Assam. Justice Kaushik Goswami of the Gauhati High Court, the event's Chief Guest, praised the programme as a crucial measure for ensuring convergence and synergy within the child protection system, enabling uninterrupted access to justice and rehabilitation for children.

Noting the constitutional duty of child protection, Harmeet Singh, Assam's Director General of Police, highlighted the programme's alignment with the state's vision for children. He emphasized creating a platform for stakeholders to engage in open dialogue to address challenges limiting services to children in the justice system.

Ajay Tewari, Additional Chief Secretary, stressed the importance of child-sensitive infrastructure across police stations, courts, and related agencies. The dialogue featured technical contributions from senior officials, including John B. Ekka, Mukesh Ch. Sahu, Dr. P. Ashok Babu, Sanjukta Parashar, Mamta Bhadani, Makhan Phukan, and Laxminarayan Nanda.

Surendra Kumar, the Additional DGP and Programme Convenor, summarized departmental feedback, reaffirming Assam Police's commitment to implement sustainable reforms. The event brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including judges, legal authorities, and child welfare organizations, underlining a collective drive towards a robust child protection system.

The dialogue, moderated by Sarmistha Barua, is set to become a recurrent platform for fostering synergy and convergence in building a child-friendly, rights-based protection system across Assam.

(With inputs from agencies.)