Mumbai, Feb 12 (NationPress) The Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights is set to launch the ‘Bal Raksha Abhiyan’ (child protection initiative) aimed at safeguarding children's rights and ensuring a secure future. The ‘Bal Snehi Puraskar’ will also be awarded, as announced by the Chairperson of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Sushiben Shah, on Wednesday.

The campaign kick-off is scheduled for February 17 in Mumbai, with the presence of School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse and Maharashtra Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe.

During this event, informational posters developed for the Child Protection Campaign will be unveiled, along with the launch of the ‘Child-Friendly Chirag App’, which has been enhanced to address child grievances.

“To mitigate incidents of child sexual abuse in Mumbai and Maharashtra, enhancing communication, coordination, and awareness among parents, educators, police, social organizations, and administrative bodies is essential. Hence, this initiative will be carried out by the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights,” stated Shah.

She emphasized that the Commission aims to curb the rise in child sexual abuse cases.

“In many incidents, the perpetrator is known to the victim. It has been noted that numerous cases remain unreported due to fear and social stigma. Increasing reporting rates, preventive strategies, and response systems is crucial to combat child abuse in educational institutions. This necessitates enhanced communication and coordination among parents, educators, police, social entities, and authorities, alongside a greater sense of responsibility. The Commission is actively pursuing this child protection initiative,” she added.

Shah mentioned that the child protection program will be executed across Maharashtra during February and March. Workshops will be organized in various districts, including Mumbai city, Mumbai suburbs, Thane, Nagpur, Akola, Nashik, Pune, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

“In this initiative, 150 individuals will receive training in each district. Participants will include educators, parents, representatives from parent-teacher associations, and selected students. In the first phase, a total of 7,000 individuals will be trained statewide through expert organizations specializing in child protection. The goal of this training is to enhance awareness among educators and parents regarding child safety, propose effective measures to create a safer school environment, protect children’s rights, and empower the grievance redressal system,” she added.

Meanwhile, Shah announced that the Commission will present the Bal Snehi Puraskar (Child-Friendly Awards) on March 3 in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

“Numerous administrative agencies, institutions, and officials have been making significant contributions towards the holistic development of children and the safeguarding of their rights, even under challenging circumstances. To recognize their valuable efforts, the Commission has organized a program to award the state-level Bal Snehi Puraskar,” she concluded.