SCPCR to DMs: Stop identity disclosure of Covid orphans in media

VARANASI: Taking serious note of the media disclosing the identity of children orphaned in the pandemic, the UP State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has written to district magistrates, asking them to put a ban on it.

District probation officer, Jaunpur, Santosh Kumar Soni, said that in a letter sent to district magistrates, State Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairman Dr Vishesh Gupta has said that data of the children orphaned due to Covid-19 has been uploaded on Bal Swaraj Portal. It has come to the knowledge of the Commission that several print, electronic media, news portals collected the information and published reports disclosing the identity of many children. News portals circulated their reports on various WhatsApp groups.

Gupta wrote that by making the identity of the children public, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, is being violated. Anti-social elements, child trafficking groups, beggary groups and people with a criminal tendency may take undue advantage of it and may use the children in the wrong way. The children’s commission considers it a serious matter.

He wrote that the district task force, district probation officer, district child protection officer, SJP child welfare committee, village child protection committee, monitoring committee should collect the information published/broadcast in news and the families in which such children were now living should be counselled. Thereafter, a detailed report should be prepared and it should be made available to the children’s commission.

Gupta has also urged the district magistrates to instruct the district probation officer, police department, child welfare committee to organise an orientation programme of the electronic media / print media and media portals in their respective districts, to ensure that the identity of orphaned children is not disclosed and statutes of the Juvenile Justice Act are not violated.