Following a suo moto petition, the Calcutta High Court has issued a number of directions to the state to ensure the protection of children in Child Care Institutions(CCI) and other homes.
The Division Bench comprising of Justices Harish Tandon and Soumen Sen ordered that superintendent attached to each institute shall monitor every child for any symptoms of Covid-19 and immediately report the same to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the district. The court also held that while efforts are to be made to conduct all sessions of Child Welfare Committees (CWC)or Juvenile Justice Boards (JJB) via video conferencing and special online sittings, any child that has to be admitted to these CCIs shall initially be isolated for a quarantine period.
The court also directed that periodic visits have to be conducted by the Health Department to ensure the health and hygiene of these places. Adding to the same efforts should be made to release children to their respective families as far as feasible.
Advocate General Kishore Dutta who appeared for the state ensured the court that while social distancing and personal hygiene had been introduced in all the CCIs, these institutes were adequately stocked with food and other stocks.
Focussing especially on the children of migrant labourers the court held that the matter had be dealt with compassionately. Stating that there are 51 NGO-run CCIs which are government-aided and 19 government-run CCIs in West Bengal the court observed that a “time has come when we have to make compassion go viral in the months ahead, so that together we weather the storm and emerge stronger. The children need our compassion, attention and support”.
The matter has been adjourned till April 21 while the court has directed the Principal Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare and the Principal Secretary, Health Department, government of West Bengal to file a comprehensive report with regard to the steps taken in terms of the directions passed by the Supreme Court on April 3, 2020 and the order passed by the Bench on Wednesday.
