MARGAO: The Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) has written to the Directors of the Directorate of Panchayat (DoP) and Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) asking them to exercise caution in registering births at panchayats and municipalities amidst surge in unlawful adoptions.
In that regard, GSCPCR has issued a series of directions to the DoP and DMA as to what steps should be taken.
In the letter, GSCPCR Chairperson Peter Borges emphasised that this issue is of great importance.
“It has come to the notice of the Commission that there has been a lapse in ensuring the accuracy and legality of birth registrations, particularly those not routed through recognized hospitals, and more specifically, births recorded as having occurred at home,” said Borges.
“Instances have been identified where municipalities and panchayats are inadvertently registering births of children who are adopted unlawfully. This grave issue is compounded by a failure to thoroughly verify the documents submitted during the registration process, with a significant number of these documents found to be fake and fabricated,” Borges added.
On that note, GSCPCR directed the Directors of DoP and DMA to issue immediate directives to all panchayats and municipalities within Goa to exercise utmost caution and diligence when registering births, especially those not originating from recognized hospitals.
“Specific attention must be given to births specified as having occurred at home,” GSCPCR added, while listing out the various steps that have to be taken.
The first was for conducting a thorough verification of all documents submitted during the birth registration process, ensuring their authenticity and legality.
The second was for establishing a robust system to cross-verify information provided with relevant authorities, such as hospitals, health clinics, and adoption agencies.
The next two were for strengthening the scrutiny process for births specified as home births, including on-site verification by authorized personnel; and to provide training to registration officials on recognizing and identifying fake or fabricated documents.
Finally, the panchayats and municipalities have been to more proactively and efficiently collaborate with law enforcement agencies to address any instances of unlawful adoption promptly.
“It is imperative that our panchayats and municipalities uphold the highest standards of integrity and legality in the registration process, and I trust that your respective directorates will take swift and effective action to address this issue,” said Borges.
Anticipating the full cooperation of both the DoP and DMA that the directives are communicated and implemented promptly, GSCPCR asked that a compliance report on this matter be submitted by January 15, 2024.
Child rights panel questions authorities over non-compliance of its recommendations regarding abandoning of babies
GSCPCR had released an advisory to three authorities - DHS, DWCD and DGP - to address the increasing cases of infant abandonment in Goa
MARGAO: Goa State Commission for Protection Child Rights (GSCPCR) has written to the Director of Directorate of Health Service (DHS), Directorate of Women and Child Development (DWCD) and Director General of Police (DGP) over non-compliance over its recommendations sent more than a year ago, regarding taking action against recurring trend of babies being abandoned in unsafe conditions.
Referring to its earlier letter that had been sent on October 31, 2022, GSCPCR Chairperson Peter Borges pointed out that it was clearly stipulated that a compliance report on the actions taken in response to that letter was to be submitted to the Commission on or before December 1st December 2022.
“Regrettably, despite the passage of the specified date, the Commission has not received the requested report. It is disturbing to note that the issue of babies being abandoned in unsafe conditions has persisted over the past year,” said Borges in the latest letter that was sent to serve a reminder to these three concerned authorities.
“Therefore, we urgently request that you provide a comprehensive action taken report on this matter to the Commission within a strict time frame of 15 days from the issuance date of this letter. Failure to do so will result in further action being taken,” Borges added further.
Incidentally, in its earlier letter that had been sent in the year 2022, GSCPCR had expressed concern over the fact that the State was witnessing several infant abandonment cases in the recent past.
At that time, GSCPCR had issued an advisory to three authorities to address the increasing cases of infant abandonment in Goa. These recommendations include setting up home cradles in specialized adoption agencies, conducting awareness programs for anganwadi staff to reduce stigma, and submitting an annual action plan for the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign. DWCD was asked to create awareness, DHS was advised to install cradles at strategic locations, and the Goa Police was advised to examine and incorporate section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act into their procedures, avoiding criminal action against biological parents during inquiries into abandoned children. Special training for Juvenile Welfare Police Officers was also recommended.
