SEMINAR ON PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL OFFENCES ACT

Forming a Child Safety Net requires webbing together different stake holders and the general public and making them involve positively on the issues and challenges that children face. The police have an all important role in this as the law enforcement agency of the society. The knowledge regarding laws related to children can empower them to take right action towards protection of children in the society.

The present day Kerala society seems to be sick as there is an alarming rate of child sexual abuse across the State and that too from their own family, friends and teachers. The children who undergo much trauma in such a young age will have to live his/her life through, facing consequences for which they are not responsible in any way. In the past three months, Don Bosco CHILDLINE has dealt with at least 15 cases of child sexual abuse. Lack of proper laws and laxity in enforcement of law are important reasons for the same.

In the wake of this drastic attitudinal change towards children, the Government of India has enacted a new law for protecting children from sexual offences which came into force on 14^th November 2012 with stringent provisions for the offenders. As knowledge of the act is essential for the law enforcement agency, Trivandrum Don Bosco Veedu Society is intervening positively to spread knowledge on the Act.

We organized a seminar on Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act for 65 Police officials of Trivandrum Rural District. All the SHOs and ASIs of the police stations were present.  The seminar started at 9.30 AM on 26-03-2013. Fr. Thomas P D, Director Trivandrum Don Bosco Veedu Society, HLK & MCS, and CHILDINE gave an introduction about Don Bosco Veedu Society and welcomed Shri. A.J. Thomaskutty IPS, District Police Chief, the chief guest, Fr. Philip Parakatt, the resource person and participants.

          In the inaugural address the District Police Chief mentioned that those who go against the law should also be made to rethink their activities and should be brought to the main stream and this training should be treated as a training of trainers, so that the awareness on the act can be spread to all.

Fr. Philip then presented the different provisions of the act and also enlightened the participants on Juvenile Justice act and the different mechanisms which need t be set up to implement the same. The seminar was an eye opener for the police officials who were enlightened to protect and uphold child rights and protect children from sexual abuse.         

          Mr. Jobi Kondoor, the State Coordinator of Homelink and Missing Child Search Programme, Kerala proposed the Vote of thanks. He requested all the help from the side of the police to work for the children in need of care and protection.  

Awareness at Attukal

Attukal Awareness

Billed by Guinness World Records as the single largest gathering of women in the world, a staggering four million devotees are to cook offerings as part of the famous Attukal Pongala festival at Trivandrum. Attukal Pongala is an annual congregation of women to offer Pongala - an offering of boiled rice in earthern pot - during the Malayalam month of Kumbham (February-March). Attukal Pongala has become a symbol of devotion and dedication to Devi, the Mother goddess and above all a celebration of womanhood.

It is a mega event with 10 days of continuous celebration culminating on the pongala day. There are lots of petty shops selling variety of items at the site.  Such a gathering will always have its exploitative side. We can see children being made use of as child labourers to sell different articles to the devotees. There are many children trafficked and made to work as cheap labour. As the place is a huge gathering of women, it is also a place for CHILDLINE to conduct some awareness campaign.

This year too we have erected a stall to conduct awareness raising campaign among the devotee women on the issues facing children. Hundreds flock to the stall to get to know the services rendered by CHILDLINE towards children in need of care and protection. Any missing complaints regarding children who come to the celebration are also taken up by CHILDLINE.

The pongala celebration is a time at Don Bosco Veedu to impart awareness among the public on issues facing children. Strong interventions to thwart exploitative conditions facing children are also carried out during the time.

Minister for Health Shri. VS Shivakumar  addressing the gathering

Health & Family Welfare Minister inaugurates

Don Bosco Veedu Skill Training Centre

   Health and Family Welfare Minister, Shri V. S. Shivakumar inaugurated at 1. 15 pm on Friday, Don Bosco Veedu Skill Training Centre, the institute that offers free employment training and placement in Hospitality Management and Marketing  to the unemployed youth, in collaboration with Accenture, one of leading global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing companies in the world.

The Centre at Manacaud, managed by Don Bosco Society, offers three-month full time courses in Hospitality Management and Marketing, for 30 students in each batch, with placement offer in Taj Group of Hotels. The course is for students who passed SSLC from the economically backward sections. The age limit for admission is 35.

            The Centre at Manacaud is one among 176 Don Bosco Skill Training Centres across 25 States in the country, under the banner of DBTECH India, the leading NGO engaged in livelihood training in India. DBTECH has trained and placed over 40,000 employed youth within a short span of two years, Fr. Thomas P.D., the Director said.  

The new centre at Manacaud is an extension of Don Bosco Nivas, at Thampanoor where the children on the street are rehabilitated with CHILDLINE and Missing Child programmes in collaboration with the Social Welfare Department.

Fr. Francis Karackatt sdb, Rector, Don Bosco Veedu presided over the function. Shri. Sharath Menon, State Coordinator, DB Tech, Shri P.S. Nair, Councillor, Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation, Fr. Stephen Mukkattil, Vicar Sahaya Matha Church Manacaud,  L&D Managers from Vivanta by Taj, Kovalam and Trivandrum addressed the gathering. 

Shri. VS Shivakumar, Minister for Health inaugurates the Computer Lab