The Chairperson of the Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR), Agatha K Sangma, has said that the commission is contemplating standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure that children are taken out of the state only after permissions are given.
In April this year two children from Meghalaya died of food poisoning in a private school in T Kagepura village, Mandya district, Karnataka. Numerous others were hospitalised due to a case of food poisoning after they were served leftover food from Holi.
Recently, the commission held a multi departmental meeting with officials from Education, Police, Health, Labour and Law departments to draft protocols that must be met before children are sent out of the state.
The chairperson of the MSCPCR said with the alarming situation wherein children are illegally taken out of the state the commission thought that there is a necessity to have a multi departmental meeting where stakeholders from various departments have a brainstorming session where suggestions were taken from various departments.
“We had some very valuable suggestions from the various departments during the meeting,” the MSCPCR chairperson said.
Meanwhile, the commission also expressed serious concern over the prevalence of child labour in Meghalaya.
Sangma emphasised the need for better monitoring and enforcement through coordinated efforts with the Labour Department. A recent review meeting with the Labour Department assessed the current situation and discussed strategies to prevent child labour and ensure prompt action against offenders.
Sangma acknowledged the challenges in tracking child labour, particularly in less visible forms such as domestic workers. She noted that children are employed as domestic help under the guise of receiving education.
