Reporting child rights violation is now easier. The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has launched a website (www.kscpcr.com) wherein one can post a complaint online in a few easy steps.
“We launched the website as part of our efforts to create awareness about child rights. We want people to realise that they need to report any kind of violation that they see or hear about and, that the reporting process is not very complicated,” said U Basavaraja, member secretary, KSCPCR.
The website was launched in March and since then has seen a steady flow of complaints. “Till this month, we have received about 100 complaints from all over the State,” says Basavaraja. The nature of the complaints received vary with child marriage cases too being reported. “The majority of the complaints are regarding poor infrastructure at schools. We have had children writing to us that they don’t have a Maths teacher since a year and, in many cases that they don’t have proper toilets,” he said.
Child marriage
“There are at least 10 cases of child marriage reported especially from districts like Bijapur and Gulbarga.” He says that the complaints regarding corporal punishments are also high in number. “Corporal punishment is the third highest among the complaints received.”
The website that has a ‘Complaints-Reg’ tab takes one to the form where the complainant can fill in details as to the nature of complaint, the organisation or the person against whom the complaint is being made. It also asks whether any previous complaint had been made regarding the issue, to whom it was made and what was the result of the said complaint. With technology reaching every nook and corner, the Commission says launching the website was needed. “The internet is everywhere. Many people don’t come forward and complain because they don’t know how to do it and also whom to register the complaint with. Now the information is right at their fingertips. Even in the online system, the anonymity of the complainant is taken care of,” says Basavaraja.
The Commission is also planning to launch many other initiatives to create awareness about child rights and to make people aware. Basavaraja says,“We are planning to distribute self-addressed postcards in all schools, villages and anganwadis. If a child has anything to tell us - be it a complaint, a request or a message, he/she just has to write it down and drop it into a post box, and we will receive it.”
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks