Kamalanagar, 26 August 2016: The District Child Protection Officer, Lawngtlai District Miss Mary Lalremruati is in Kamalanagar with her subordinate staff for a week long programme to form the Village Level Child Protection Committees (VLCPC). So far the VLCPCs of Kamalanagar-II, Chawngte-P and Saizawh-W have been formed. The VLCPCs of Kamalanagar-III and Kamalanagar-IV will be formed today.
The Governor has notified the formation of VLCPCs in as many as 808 villages within Mizoram as per the guidelines of Integrated Child Protection Scheme. The District Child Protection Unit of each district, a nodal department of Social Welfare Department will be responsible in setting up of the VLCPC in each village. A total of 162 VLCPCs will be formed in Lawngtlai District including 83 villages in CADC area.
A VLCPC is formed drawing members from concerned Village Council, DCPU (Lawngtlai), Anganwadi workers, ASHA/Health workers, Headmasters of the locality, Women organisation (CMS) and Civil society representatives (YCA).
The main objective of the VLCPC is to safeguard the rights of children and protect them from child trafficking, child labour, child marriage, corporal punishment and any form of violence on Children. As part of capacity building, VLCPCs are sensitized on the provisions of various Acts like Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and Child Rights. The roles and responsibilities of VLCPC are also discussed with the members.
The VLCPCs are also instructed to identify vulnerable and marginalised children within oneβs own locality or village and report such cases to the DCPU, Juvenile Justice Board and Special Juvenile Police Unit.
It is also the responsibility of the VLCPC to promote good practices like birth registration, Aadhar card registration, encouraging parents to send their children to school, etc.
Record of children in the villages, who are not attending schools, migrated out of village for work, missing children, etc. are to be maintained by the VLCPC. For restoration and rehabilitation or rescuing of trafficked victims, orphan child and unaccompanied children the VLCPCs are to liaise with the Block Level Child Protection Committee and DCPU.