State panel sought to protect child rights

MADURAI: In the light of the spike in cases of child abuse, members of civil society appealed to the government to form a State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and impart special training to teachers to avoid such incidents. The Central Government formed a similar panel to deal exclusively with cases pertaining to the violation of child rights and it conducts independent probes and recommends action against violators of child rights, explained national secretary of AIDWA, U Vasuki. The TN Government should also form a state committee on these lines, she demanded.  Acting chairperson of the Madurai CWC R Velumurgan said the education department should spread awareness regarding the committee among school students and educate them on their rights.“Many students, who are abused by their teachers, are reluctant to raise the issue owing to fear that the teachers will take revenge on them. Under such circumstances, to encourage students to bring their problems to notice at the earliest, every school should either train their teachers to deal with such incidents or appoint separate counsellors,” said a retired school teacher. Madurai Chief Education Officer S Nagaraja Murugan said that soon after the child sexual abuse case was reported in the Podhumpu School, officials held a counselling session for all school teachers.