Sundargarh: In a bid to ensure the children their welfare, dignity, freedom and protection from various societal evils, Sundargarh Police has launched a pilot project under the name ‘Ama Khusi Ama Suraksha’.
Under this project, endeavours will be taken to make every police station of the district child-friendly as per the guidelines of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in a phased manner, stated a press communique.
Accordingly, the first such police station was inaugurated at Rajgangpur Police Station (PS) premises by Western Range IGP Kavita Jalan.
Subsequently, another five police stations-Bhasma, Bargaon, Kutra, Town and Birmitrapur- will be taken up in the project in coordination with the district administration. Training will be provided to the personnel with help of District Child Protection Office (DCPO) and other NGOs working for child rights.
Aim of the Project:
1. To make police stations and police personnel more approachable to the children so that they are able to report or amenable to give their statements to the police without fear.
2. To cater to the needs of the child victims by providing them proper psychological care and counselling, especially in cases of victims of sexual abuse.
3. To create a platform to interact with the children so that they are able to understand the functioning of the police station and the daily activities of the police which in turn will help them understand that police is their friend.
4. To take one step further to prevent juvenile crime and aid in child reforms.
The 3 Stages of the Project
1. Stage I: Infrastructure Development
A separate room in the PS premises is dedicatedly set up with child-friendly décor, books and toys to provide a safe and calm atmosphere to the children. One Child Welfare Officer will be in charge of this safe space for the children. The room is being named as ‘Ananda Ghara’.
2. Stage II: Capacity Building
Two female staff of each PS will be provided with training from both legal experts as well as experts in the field of psychology to make them more capable to deal with victims of abuse, both physical/sexual and mental and to act as a link between their family and the legal system.
3. Stage III: Community Participation
To improve interaction, at a later stage children from different schools will be invited to the PS to learn about functioning of the police station and the different types of role a policeman performs. The initiative will be called ‘One Day At Your Police Station’.
