Concluding a two-day NCPCR public hearing on Child Rights in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry here, the jury members said they had come across serious issues concerning children including sexual abuse and child marriages.
NCPCR called for better co-ordination among different government departments that deal with children for better maintenance of their rights and "greater flexibility," in dealing with issues.
"We have to encourage children to speak... Urgency (to address the issue), decentralisation and flexibility are the indispensable components to ensure justice to children," Sinha said.
The public hearing was held in the context of implementation of Right to Education (RTE), corporal punishment, physical abuse, child labour and 'discrimination and degrading treatment'of Dalit and Tribal children.
Jury members, including noted educationist V Vasanthy Devi, expressed concerns over abuse of children and prevalence of child marriages among others.
Devi said several recommendations, including calling for a 'social audit' especially in the backdrop of complaints that tribal schools were generally not in good shape, full implementation of RTE and including human rights in school curriculum, would be made to the officials.
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They said there should be "zero tolerance," towards sexual absue of children, adding they discussed various matters in this connection, including setting proper guidelines.
They added civil society has to be "more vigilant" in such
issues.