Sarpanches, District Legal Service Authority Come Together to Create Safety Net for Children in Faridabad

In a unique commitment to child protection and to create a safety net for children in villages, District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Faridabad and village heads (sarpanches) came together for a training camp organized under Mission Vatsalya by District Child Protection Unit and NGOs Shakti Vahini and Mission to the Desperate and Destitute (MDD) of India. Led by Deputy Commissioner Vikram Singh, the camp saw the participation of village heads of 28 out of the 30 villages in Faridabad block where they discussed the role of panchayats in creating a safety net for children in Faridabad. The training camp was in response to a written request made by Shakti Vahini and MDD of India to Deputy Commissioner for the sensitization of sarpanches on child rights.

Both Shakti Vahini and MDD of India are partners of Just Rights for Children, India’s largest network of NGOs working for child protection in 434 districts across the country. In a letter in July 2025, the NGOs had requested for “guidance, support and assistance to implement the guidelines of the Hon’b’le Supreme Court in Faridabad district to make it child marriage free”. Acting upon their request, the Deputy Commissioner directed all concerned officials and sarpanches to attend the camp.

Addressing the camp, Chief Judicial Magistrate Ritu Yadav said that DLSA is fully prepared to extend all possible support to sarpanches in establishing a safety mechanism for children at the village level. She emphasized that the DLSA stands firmly with the sarpanches and is ready to intervene legally whenever required to ensure the protection of children.

Apart from the sarpanches, the camp witnessed the participation of District Child Protection Officer, District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), police, traffic police, District Education Officer, Child Welfare Committee, and other senior district administration officials. Discussions focused on strengthening village-level Child Protection Committees to ensure the safety of children.

CJM Yadav highlighted how the DLSA plays a key role in building protective mechanisms for children at village, block, and district levels. She also pointed out DLSA’s efforts in preventing child marriage and child labour, and in providing legal assistance in POCSO cases involving children who are survivors of sexual abuse.

During the camp, Child Marriage Prohibition Officer (CMPO) Hema Kaushik urged sarpanches to actively work towards strengthening village-level Child Protection Committees under Mission Vatsalya. She advised them to maintain a register to record the details of committee meetings.

She said, “Whenever information of child marriage comes to light, it must be shared not only with the relevant officials but also with organizations like Shakti Vahini and MDD that are working for child rights.” The contact numbers of these organizations were also shared with the sarpanches so that they could immediately report any cases of child marriage, child labour, or child exploitation.

District Child Welfare Protection Officer Garima Singh Tomar stated that the primary objective now is to build strong coordination with sarpanches and empower village-level Child Protection Committees so that swift action can be taken in cases of child marriage, child labour, or child sexual abuse.

Social worker Nishi Kant, speaking after the successful training camp, stressed that sensitizing sarpanches is most crucial, as child rights can be best protected at the grassroots level. Expressing gratitude for the support received from all departments, he said this reflects the seriousness with which the state government and district administration are taking child rights protection. “This is a welcome step, and similar training camps will be organized for sarpanches in other blocks of the district as well,” he added.

Echoing similar thoughts and enthusiasm, Deepak Bhati, District Coordinator, MDD of India, said, “It is a significant partnership between all the stakeholders which will ensure that every child in every house in every village is under this safety net and any kind of violation towards them will be addressed at the soonest.”