A meeting of the district-level Child Protection Committee (CPC) here on Wednesday decided to strengthen the steps to prevent the rising tide of crimes against minors.
Addressing the meeting, district panchayat president Sebastian Kulathungal, who is also the chairman of the CPC, highlighted the need to intensify the functioning of the protection committees at panchayats and municipalities. The meeting decided to organise awareness programmes across the district and strengthen the activities of school protection groups led by sub-inspectors of police.
POCSO cases
The meeting reviewed the functioning of CPC units, Childline, Special Juvenile Police units, and Child Welfare Committees in the district.
To check the incidence of child labour, the Labour Department has been asked to carry out inspections across the district. Further, stern action will be initiated against teachers in case of lapses in reporting Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases.
The number of crimes against children has been on a steady rise in Kottayam with the total number of cases jumping from 143 in 2016 to 223 in 2018.
