The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) submitted a special report on child protection in West Bengal to President Draupadi Murmu on Wednesday.
In the report, the child rights group said that the state administration was “neglecting the best interest of children” and was not acting according to “their responsibilities” in taking action under child protection laws.
It also said that the state and district administrations had been “non-cooperative and rampantly disregarding the laws”.
The child rights group said that over 40 children were victims of bomb blasts across the state.
It also highlighted the inadequacies in the state’s response, emphasising the need for improved cooperation with the central agencies to address such heinous crimes effectively.
The report by the child rights group also gave instances of children being targeted and subjected to torture, inhuman treatment, and violence following the conclusion of polls in 2021, according to news agency PTI.
A total of 23 cases of post-poll violence were documented, the child rights body claimed in the report.
The report further submitted its findings regarding child trafficking in West Bengal, with rescued girls often trafficked from the state to other regions.
The report claimed that insensitive remarks were made by state officials, including the chief minister, regarding victims of sexual abuse were flagged, indicating a blatant violation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, news agency PTI reported.
It also pointed out the state’s failure to implement Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act, 2009, depriving the underprivileged children of their fundamental right to education.
The report also highlighted instances of non-cooperation by the state authorities with central agencies/institutions and misconduct against officials from the child rights body.
(With inputs from PTI)
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