Raphael Warjri

The Juvenile Justice Committee, High Court of Meghalaya in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare, the Directorate of School Education & Literacy, Commissioner for Person with Disabilities and Community & Rural Development Department today organized a One Day State Level Consultation Programme on Protection of Children with Disabilities at the Auditorium of High Court of Meghalaya.

Addressing the programme, Justice S. Vaidyanathan, Chief Justice, High Court of Meghalaya stated that at least 1 billion of the global population has some form of disability whether at birth or acquired and nearly 240 million are children. He said that to safeguard the basic human rights of the differently abled community, programmes and policies are being initiated to focus on supporting disabled children and adults.

Considering the problems of children with disabilities worldwide, there is a need to increase joint efforts to effectively implement the commitments, fight social stigma associated with disabilities and discrimination that leads to social rejection, he added.

He highlighted that the aim of this consultation is to promote awareness to understand the disability issues and to mobilize support for dignity, rights and well being of children with disabilities. This platform will enable all stakeholders to share their learning and perspective on contemporary development and issues with respect to rights of differently abled. He hopes that this event will provide valuable outputs which can address the inequalities and barriers that the persons with disabilities faced.

In his address, Justice H. S Thangkhiew, Judge, High Court of Meghalaya and Chairperson, Juvenile Justice Committee stressed on the importance of fostering an inclusive mindset. He also highlighted the legal aspects and key benefits of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and the Juvenile Justice Act.

The programme was attended by Shri Sampath Kumar. Principal Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Shri Swapnil Tembe, Director, Directorate of School Education & Literacy, Smti Bertha Dkhar, Executive Director, Bethany Society, Shillong and officials from various departments