Three months after it laid down a new code to prevent cases of sexual harassment at educational institutions across the Capital, the Delhi government is yet to officially notify the same.
Lacking official notification, the 'Guidelines for Prevention of Child Abuse 2013' - prepared by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights following a Delhi High Court order to prevent cases of sexual abuse of children in schools - currently has no impact.
Please pray that whatever obstacles there are to the notification of this code will be removed and that it will become official very soon.
The guidelines were made public by the Delhi government on August 20 this year after the high court asked the Delhi government and the Centre to take action following a PIL filed by HAQ Centre for Child Rights.
The guidelines - that mainly mandate that all schools in Delhi must have a system of ensuring that there is no "abuse, neglect and maltreatment" and that the school staff must be aware of what constitutes abuse, and how to prevent and respond to the same - could go a long way in preventing sexual abuse of children in schools, experts say.
They add that the recent incident of a teacher of Bluebells School being arrested on the charge of molesting a Class V student must act as a wake-up call for the government.
"Cases of child sex abuse have been rampantly reported across Delhi. The CM announced the new guidelines amid much fanfare. But she has let it remain in a limbo for three months now. And hence, the provisions are not mandatory for any school currently," advocate Anant Asthana pointed out.
Lacking official notification, the 'Guidelines for Prevention of Child Abuse 2013' - prepared by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights following a Delhi High Court order to prevent cases of sexual abuse of children in schools - currently has no impact.
Please pray that whatever obstacles there are to the notification of this code will be removed and that it will become official very soon.
The guidelines were made public by the Delhi government on August 20 this year after the high court asked the Delhi government and the Centre to take action following a PIL filed by HAQ Centre for Child Rights.
The guidelines - that mainly mandate that all schools in Delhi must have a system of ensuring that there is no "abuse, neglect and maltreatment" and that the school staff must be aware of what constitutes abuse, and how to prevent and respond to the same - could go a long way in preventing sexual abuse of children in schools, experts say.
They add that the recent incident of a teacher of Bluebells School being arrested on the charge of molesting a Class V student must act as a wake-up call for the government.
"Cases of child sex abuse have been rampantly reported across Delhi. The CM announced the new guidelines amid much fanfare. But she has let it remain in a limbo for three months now. And hence, the provisions are not mandatory for any school currently," advocate Anant Asthana pointed out.
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