Bhubaneswar: Babita Patra on Monday assumed charge as Chairperson of the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR), vowing to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety, security, and overall development of children in the state.
“We will work as per the Chief Minister’s guidance, with child safety as our top priority,” Patra said after taking charge. “Our efforts will focus on education, health, and social development. We have witnessed some crimes against children in the past, and roadmaps are being prepared to address those cases. We will work closely with Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who also heads the department, to accelerate our initiatives.”
Calling the recent death of a minor girl in Bargarh district—who allegedly set herself ablaze—“unfortunate and disturbing,” Patra said the Commission would hold discussions with the district committee, seek an investigation report, and take necessary action. “We will also work to prevent suicides among children by addressing not only their physical but also their mental well-being,” she added.
Patra announced plans to prepare a roadmap for children’s mental development, starting from Anganwadi centres and Sishu Batikas, while ensuring speedy justice for victims of crimes. “Children face both physical and mental abuse, and we must address both. We will reach rural and remote areas to work effectively,” she said.
On the legal front, Patra said the Commission would discuss with the Law Minister ways to ensure stern and exemplary punishments for offenders in crimes against children, to deter future violations.
