Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Khunti district has provided a list of 56 girls, identified as children in need of care and protection (CNCP), to the district administration in order to get them enrolled in residential schools were they can complete their education.
CWC Khunti member Baidnath Kumar said, “We have issued a letter to the district superintendent of education (DSE) to ensure that these girls are enrolled in school on a priority basis so that they can be linked to the mainstream and have a secure future.”
The 56 girls between ages of 9 to 17 have been identified by the CWC in the year 2018. While some of them are trafficking survivors rescued from Delhi, NCR, Haryana and Punjab, many others belong to the category of child labour, children of migrant labourers, children of single parents and others. “The Juvenile Justice Act explains that children who are survivors of crimes like trafficking, child labour and others and also those who are orphan, extremely poor or have a single parent come under the category of CNCP. These children, once identified, must be brought to the mainstream,” Kumar said.
The list prepared by the CWC includes such girls who have themselves expressed interest in pursuing education.
“Some of these girls are living with their families while the others are living at shelter homes. We have directed the district administration to get them enrolled in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas running in the district or other residential schools like Birsa Eklavya Vidyalaya,” the CWC member said.
A special residential school for trafficking survivors was set up in Ranchi, at Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) Ormanjhi in 2018 having a capacity of 100 students. The State government had directed to set up a similar facility for the survivors in Khunti but it has not yet been done.
“Khunti is in a dire need of a school as such and we are hoping that it would be set up here soon. Trafficking is a major issue in the district and at least five to 10 trafficking survivors are produced at the committee every week,” Kumar said.
He added, “Our aim is to ensure that these girls are repatriated and given proper education so that they are not re-trafficked.”
