In order to help search for a global solution to the burgeoning crisis of online sexual abuse of children, Mata Amritanandamayi, Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham participated in the Interfaith Alliance on 19th-20th Nov 2018 for Safer Communities’ first forum, “Child Dignity in the Digital World” at the invitation of the Government of the United Arab Emirates.
Following the Chancellor’s footsteps, The Centre for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality (CWEGE), Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri campus, organized a one-day workshop ”The Dissemination of Compendium on the Juvenile Justice rules for the Stakeholders of Child Protection and Human Trafficking & Trauma Care” in collaboration with PRERANA-Mumbai (NGO) and IJM, on September 4, 2019. The workshop was inaugurated by Shri. P Suresh, Hon’ble. Chairperson, Kerala State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR). He also launched the Compendium. Dr. Praveen Patkar, Dr. Preeti Patkar, Dr. Reni Jacob, Ms. Kashina, and Advocate Kile D’Souza engaged the participants in a very lively discussion on the ground realities surrounding children in need of care and protection. The workshop participants included the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) members, Child protection officers, Childline Coordinators, Child Care Home Incharges, MSW students, researchers and faculty from CWEGE. This workshop focussed on UN SDG 16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.
Prerana (NGO) is a civil society organization that started working in the red light areas of Mumbai in 1986 under the leadership of the founder Dr. Pravin Patkar and Priti Patkar, which serves the actual and potential women and children victims of commercial sexual exploitation & trafficking. Prerana has been successful in influencing Indian policy-making at various levels. The organization was instrumental in persuading the government to integrate a child trafficking policy into the country’s 1998 National Plan. Following public interest litigation filed in 2010 on the rehabilitation of sex workers, one of Prerana’s founders, Priti Patkar, was appointed onto a Supreme Court panel to recommend possible amendments to the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act of 1956. Prerana takes a 360-degree approach to its efforts in ending commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking work by playing roles in protection, prevention, vigilance, rescue, post-rescue operations, victim care services, prosecution, empowerment of victim women, advocacy, legal support, policy level, and administrative reforms, rehabilitation, and social reintegration, generating social awareness, research and documentation, sensitization and training of special functionaries (like police, judiciary, etc) and networking and capacity building of fellow organizations.
The founders of the Prerana organization were attached with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham at various levels of mutual association. Both the founders were supporting the institution in developing a curriculum of Social Work at the master’s level and served in academics as adjunct /visiting faculty in Social work since the inception of the course in 2007. Dr Praveen Patkar had been a member of the Board of studies of Social work till 2015.
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is the first university in India to offer Child Rights and child protection as specialization to Social Work program. Association with the founders of Prerana was instrumental in the establishment of the specialization with the Social work program at Amritapuri and Ettimadai Campuses.
The continuation of association with Prerana contributes to organizing the workshop in the Dissemination of Compendium on the Juvenile Justice rules for the Stakeholders of Child Protection and Human Trafficking & Trauma Care” in September 4, 2019.
PRERANA and International Justice Mission(IJM), both having long association and collaboration with various CWC’s and CCIs have reached a conclusion that the efficacy of these bodies can be boosted if equipped with some model case work forms, ranging from state issued to others jointly suitably modified without change in the content or general sense. Based on this they have jointly developed a compendium of Orders and formats- which is a first of its kind resource for the use of CWCs, CCIs and NGOs consisting of best practice orders and formats created by amalgamating the model format with best practice as observed on the field.
Date: 4th September 2019
Time 9.30am to 4.45pm
| Session | Time | Program Activity | Resource Person | Expected Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9.30 – 10am | Registration of Participants | Amrita University | |
| 10.00 – 10.45am | Inauguration – Chairperson KeSCPCR (Guest) | Amrita University and Prerana | ||
| 10.45- 11.001m | Tea Break | |||
| 2 | 11.00 – 12.30pm | Overview of the Compendium | Prerana and IJM | Knowledge enhancement on various formats and orders, importance of uniformity |
| Discussion on the Compendium | ||||
| 12.30 – 1.15pm | Question and Answers | |||
| 1.15 – 2.00 pm | LUNCH | |||
| 3 | 2.00 – 2.50pm | Session on Human Trafficking | Prerana | Knowledge enhancement on HT situation in India |
| 4 | 2.50 – 3.40 pm | Session on Trauma Informed Care | IJM | Awareness on Trauma informed care of children |
| 5 | 3.50 -4.30pm | Talking to Children Sensitively | Prerana | Skill development in Dealing with children |
| 4.30 – 4.45 pm | Feed Back | Amrita University | ||
Reference: Compendium for stakeholders working with CNCP – Bhubaneshwar
