Aurangabad: The education department of the Aurangabad zilla parishad on Monday invited principals of city schools for a review meeting on child protection and abuse prevention.Attendees were informed about existing legislation and prevention methods. The state Child Rights Commission chairman Pravin Ghuge said an estimated 60% of young children faced abuse in one form or another.Monday's meeting had participation from representatives of several primary, secondary and higher secondary schools - run by the zilla parishad, the municipal corporation and private organisations. The state government had issued a circular on child protection as recently as June 2.In her speech at the event, social worker and government counsellor Rani Yangad said protection is a right guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), of which India is one of the signatories. Yangad added that a global study had found that India was in a ‘difficult situation’ in terms of child protection. She said child protection is a right which upholds other rights a child is entitled to and added that all stakeholders - police, school and the civil society - must ensure a child's rights are recognised. In case of violations, she said all stakeholders have the responsibility of bringing violators to justice.“Understanding warning signs such as unusual behaviour and physical symptoms is key. Trusting the child is also very important - 90% of the time, a child will not lie about sexual abuse,” Yangad said.Ghuge said the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015; the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012; the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009; and the Integrated Child Protection Scheme were legislations that were created to ensure child protection. “If school staff come across complaints, they can approach the child welfare protection officer or the special juvenile cell of police stationsy,” he said.Ghuge added that the number of people turning up with complaints had risen because of an increase in awareness levels.

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