Dozens of government staff engaged in the care and protection of children in conflict with the law in the State launched an indefinite agitation on Thursday in protest against the slashing of their salary and the continuing neglect by authorities.
The employees of Child Welfare Committees, Juvenile Justice Boards, District Child Protection Units, and Government Children’s Homes, working under an umbrella body named State Child Protection Society, are on the warpath.
The Kerala Integrated Child Protection Society (KICPS) Employees’ Union officials said employees were forced to launch the agitation as the government continued to ignore their demands. Apart from slashing their salary, the government refused to renew their contracts and denied them many benefits, including leave for labour. The KICPS Employees’ Union affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) is leading the agitation.
If the agitation continues, it will cripple the functioning of the 27 government child protection bodies as well as 500-odd organisations working in the private sector across the State. The strike will stall the work of the 14 Child Welfare Committees and the Juvenile Justice Boards in the State.
The working of observation homes, places of safety and special homes will also be affected. The functioning of Child Protection Units in all districts will be hit by the strike. Child Protection Units are responsible for preparing social investigation reports, counselling reports, and home study reports about children in need of care and protection. The process of adoption will also be affected in the State.
The State Child Protection Society is responsible for the implementation of Mission Vatsalya, a Centrally sponsored umbrella scheme aimed at ensuring care and protection of children in the country.
KICPS Employees’ Union State committee member A.K. Mohammed Salih said the employees of the Child Protection Society were pushed to hardship when the government slashed their salaries. Many of them lost more than ₹8,000 in wages. They had staged a dharna in front of the Secretariat in April and a token strike a couple of weeks ago. “We have no choice but to launch an indefinite strike now,” said Mr. Salih.
