Under the successful Mission Shakti campaign launched by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Women Welfare and Child Development department held awareness programmes in different districts of the state where people were made aware of the laws against child marriage and child labour and about mental health.
The people were informed that child marriage was an offence under which people promoting it could be punished with a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh or jail for two years or both.
It may be mentioned here that earlier the Women Welfare department had launched a book on the mental health of children and adolescents. The book has every solution for how a child can deal with physical and mental torture.
Meanwhile, the government’s endeavour for protection of girls has found positive results as there is an increase in adoptions of orphaned kids by foreign nationals from children homes and orphanages.
Couples from Belgium, Spain, Italy, Canada, France and Malta have been motivated to give shelter to girls who were rejected by their own parents in Uttar Pradesh.
“The campaign has been intensified with emphasis on children’s’ rights, female foeticide, sexual crimes against girls on one hand and on the other, adoption of orphaned girl child is also being encouraged, all being part of Mission Shakti campaign launched in October for safety, dignity and empowerment of women and girls,” an official said.
As many as 456 girl inmates have been adopted by domestic and foreign couples in two years. In 2019, 290 kids were adopted from government children homes by Indian couples out of which 136 were girls. During 2019, at least 67 children were adopted by foreigners, out of which 45 were girls.
Similarly, in 2020, the domestic adoption was 131 which included 88 girls. The foreigners adopted 22 girls out of a total of 35 children they adopted from January 1, 2020 to November 22, 2020.
Asia Raza, a social worker of a government children’s home, said that during the last two years, there had been maximum adoptions of girls which in itself was a positive sign and indication of the change the Yogi government was bringing.
Sangita Sharma, the a member of Child Welfare Committee, said that the Kavach campaign last year and Mission Shakti campaign this year along with Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign were testimony of the fact that the Yogi government had some definite ideology and resolve to change the mindset about girls and women,.
“The adoption of girls by foreigner couples is yet another example of how the well-meaning policies spread their message even across the seven seas,” she said.
