Bid to safeguard unlucky minors
DEHRADUN/ NEW DELHI: Shreya hasn’t said a word beyond ‘gaadi’ (vehicle) since regaining consciousness five days ago. But only anganwadi worker Sarita knows the girl with broken legs wants a real car, not a toy, to get out of the hospital and find her parents.
Shreya, barely 3 years old, was found unconscious at Kedarnath on June 24. She was brought to Doon District Hospital where doctors plastered her fractured legs and prescribed a four-week rest for her.
Strangers – many come to see the ‘ wonder girl’ – make her cringe in fear. But Shreya somehow bonded with Sarita, who has been nursing her.
“She seems to understand Hindi but is not able to speak properly. We are trying to communicate through signs,” Sarita said, adding she named the girl Shreya. “She does not let any- one else come near her. All she wants is a car to take her to her parents,” Sarita said.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked the Uttarakhand government to shift its focus on rehabilitation of most vulnerable victims including children and ensure they do not fall prey to human traffickers.
In a letter to CM Vijay Bahuguna, NCPCR chairperson Kushal Singh asked the government to immediately start identification, registration and documentation of unaccompanied and separated children in need of care and protection and place then under the supervision of child welfare committees.
The NCPCR also wanted the state government to ensure that all personnel engaged in relief work are specially briefed on protection, health and nutrition procedures, especially of babies and very young children separated from their parents.