Seminar on POCSO Awareness organized by KIIT NSS Bureau
KIIT NSS Bureau organized a Seminar on POCSO Awareness in collaboration with Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and UNFPA at Campus-7 Auditorium, KIIT Deemed to be University on 19th September, 2019.
This seminar was undertaken to sensitize and create awareness among teachers, students, management and others about sexual exploitation and various safeguards so that children will be better protected. This seminar also marked as the opening ceremony of NSS Week 2019.
Dr. Kajal Parashar, Dy. Director, CEC and Programme Coordinator, KIIT NSS Bureau placed the introductory speech, outlined the essence and objective of the Seminar.
Welcoming the dignitaries, Prof. Subash Chander Raina, Director, KIIT School of Law critically reviewed different Acts made for protecting girl child from time to time. Particularly, he analyzed the POCSO Act meticulously. He also laid light on Article 15 of our Constitution and Juvenile Justice Act of 1966 and its effectiveness in safeguarding the modesty of vulnerable girl children.
Gracing the Seminar as Chief Guest, Sri Loknath Mohapatra, Director, Odisha Judicial Academy through a presentation, discussed about the genesis of POCSO Act, its utilities and outcomes. He explained why this Act comes into force under Clause-3 Article 15 of the Constitution. The best interest of the child has to be protected at any cost and it is the essence of the Seminar, he opined.
Mrs. Sarojini Brahma, Gender Specialist, Bhubaneswar Smart City Ltd. said that the marginalized community usually regarded as the vulnerable section. A lot of things need to be changed, be it legal provisions and generation of support mechanism are concerned.
Mrs. Sarita Patel, NSS Regional Director said that at the pretext of sky-rocketing pace of Urbanization, NSS should cover from Campus to Community and from College to Village to augment Social Responsibility. In order to realize a healthy Indian Society, we should awaken others being awakening ourselves.
Ms. Surekha Sundari Swain, SNO-cum-Under Secretary, Higher Education Department, Govt. of Odisha said that the lives of baby girls get endangered day by day. She lamented that, we are lacking values in our education system. Every day there is something wrong happens with the hapless girl children and such heinous acts are spreading its wings like epidemic diseases. He appealed all the NSS Volunteers to save girl children, who are vulnerable all through their lives and they need to be protected.
Mrs. Soma Paikaray, Centre Administrator, Sakhi, OSC, Bhubaneswar placed a lucid presentation about various aspects of POCSO Act. She singled out social stigma as the principal cause towards gender discrimination. She analyzed about the various circumstances responsible for occurrence of sexual abuse with a child, the precautionary measures ought to be taken by the guardians and array of support their centre provides to the victim.