Guwahati: In a significant move to strengthen the safety net for the state’s children, the Assam Police today hosted a state-level Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue, a pivotal event under its Sishu Mitra Programme. The initiative, hailed as a critical step forward, brought together key stakeholders from various departments and organisations to address systemic gaps and reinforce a collective responsibility for child protection, rehabilitation, and justice. The core objective was to build a robust institutional response mechanism, ensuring that every child is granted the protection and access to justice mandated by law.
The Sishu Mitra Programme, a pioneering effort launched in 2019 in collaboration with UTSAH Child Rights Organisation and UNICEF, has been instrumental in shaping a more child-friendly policing system across the state. The dialogue served as a testament to this vision, as luminaries and officials from the judiciary and government departments converged to chart a new course.
Chief guest, Justice Kaushik Goswami of the Gauhati High Court, lauded the initiative, stating it was a “critical step towards addressing convergence and synergy related issues.” He stressed the importance of seamless access to justice and rehabilitation for children, further declaring that “Child Protection is not a gift, it is every stakeholder’s Constitutional duty.”
Echoing this sentiment, Director General of Police, Assam, Harmeet Singh, IPS, highlighted the programme’s alignment with the Assam Chief Minister’s vision for children. He articulated the aim of the dialogue as creating an open platform for all stakeholders to collaboratively resolve challenges that impede children’s access to justice and services.
The discourse also saw a strong emphasis on the need for child-sensitive infrastructure and services. Ajay Tewari, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Home & Political Department, underscored this requirement, urging its implementation across all police stations, courts, and other service-providing agencies. The day’s agenda also featured technical presentations by a host of senior officials, including John B. Ekka, Mukesh Ch. Sahu, Dr. P. Ashok Babu, Sanjukta Parashar, and others, who delved into the specific responsibilities of their departments.
The proceedings concluded with Surendra Kumar, Additional DGP and Convenor of the Sishu Mitra Programme, summarising the feedback and reaffirming the Assam Police’s unwavering commitment to driving sustainable and actionable reforms on the ground. The dialogue witnessed wide-ranging participation from District & Sessions Judges, the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the State Legal Services Authority, and other key stakeholders, underscoring a unified resolve. The Assam police have committed to institutionalising this dialogue as a recurring forum, a promise that signals a new era of synergy and convergence towards a more child-friendly and rights-based protection system in the state.
Read More: A Silent Revolution: PM-KISAN Empowers Arunachal Farmers