Nowhere to go?

Siliguri, July 10: Darjeeling district will soon have a Juvenile Justice Board and a Child Welfare Committee.

“The district does not have any of these panels. We are determined to form both the bodies within a month and have advertised for social workers who want to join these bodies as members. We have also proposed to set up a juvenile home for children in the district,” said an official of the district social welfare department today.

While the juvenile board –— comprising three members including a judicial magistrate — deals with minors accused of criminal activity, the committee with five members looks after the overall welfare of children within a specified area of jurisdiction, example a district.

Besides this, a survey will be conducted on destitute and orphaned children living in the district. The study will be a part of the national project to eradicate child labour and will complement the survey to be carried out on children engaged in hazardous jobs.

“The database that will come to us finally will help us take effective measures for child welfare,” said Anindya Chowdhury, the district social welfare officer of Darjeeling.

The department is also contemplating setting up an old age home in the hills. The home will also, Chowdhury said, double as accommodation for victims of landslide.

“It will be a temporary set-up where we will provide food and shelter on an emergency basis to those affected by landslides and have nowhere to go,” he said.

Keeping in mind the susceptibility of adolescent girls to trafficking because of the district’s proximity to international borders and closed gardens, the department has launched a capacity building programme for women in specific locations.

“They will be trained under special schemes and given financial assistance to ensure a regular income,” said the welfare officer.

The department has also planned to set up a de-addiction centre for women, probably in Siliguri or its suburbs.