Child Welfare Committee members at the training programme in Patna on Friday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Dec. 30: The two-day training programme conducted for Child Welfare Committee members and chairpersons at Bihar Industries Association concluded today.

The programme aims to educate the members and chairpersons for betterment of children and provide them proper rehabilitation.

The committee works for rehabilitation of orphans and victims of human trafficking.

Prayas Bharti Trust, in collaboration with the department of social welfare and Bihar Industries Association, organised the event based on the subject Alternative Care of Children in Need of Care & Protection. Save the Children, an NGO, supported the event.

Chairperson of Prayas Bharti Trust Suman Lal said: “The stakeholders and those who are working for the welfare of children will have to think beyond law and books. They, along with the state government, need to be sensitised.”

Lal added that all the members should think that children who fall prey to traffickers were victims of the situation. “They (the children) are not the accused but victims. Therefore, they should not be victimised but rehabilitated.”

French social reformer Dr Jean Peare attended the event yesterday. Director of the department of social welfare Ramroop Singh, managing director of Women’s Development Corporation Vandana Kini and others also attended it yesterday.

The last day of the workshop saw presence of president of Bihar Industries Association KPS Keshri, state co-ordinator of Action Against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children, Y.K. Gautam, Tarkeshwar Singh, secretary of Sarthi, an NGO, state programme manager of Save the Children, Shashank Kumar, Varun Pathak city co-ordinator of Delhi Childline and Kiran Jyoti, executive director of Salaam Baalak Trust.

Shashank said: “The Child Welfare Committees are formed keeping in mind the rehabilitation of children who fall prey to adverse situations. The five-member bench has the power equivalent to that of a magistrate. The committees are working but they need to be trained in a better way. Capacity building has to be done.”