Tobacco at the root of all societal ills – Workshop by Trivandrum City Police

TechnoparkToday.com ( Aug, 2013) >> A workshop organised by Trivandrum City Police on School Protection Groups emerged as a forum for discussion on child rights, and brought out the need for collective efforts to protect and safeguard the rights of children.

More than a thousand people including students, teachers, parents, police officers and ward councillors were present in the workshop on August 3 that also brought out the human face of the police.

Inaugurating the workshop, Shri A Shajahan, Director of Public Instructions said that the society has a responsibility to protect children from factors that infringe upon their rights. “New media has made it possible for children to have access to information of various kinds. Activities that mandate parental guidance or ought to be done with parents’ knowledge are available to children readily. It is our responsibility to identify and remove agents that lead children to these.”

Shri Shajahan also spoke about Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, a recently constituted body with wide powers. In case of complaints on violation of children’s rights, the Commission has the authority to call upon and seek explanation from Headmasters and schoolteachers. School authorities are also liable to take remedial action.

The School Protection Groups are unique to Kerala, and our schools should fully leverage it, he added.

In his presidential address, Shri P Vijayan, District Police Chief, Trivandrum City said that tobacco dis the root cause of all societal ills. “Once taken in by the tobacco habit, users graduate to other potent drugs. Under the influence of drugs and narcotics, all restrictions of the mind are forgotten and crimes are committed.”

Crimes by and against children have also increased in recent times. “Figures with the State Crime Records Bureau for 2009-10 show that crimes by and against children have increased ten-fold. According to Social Welfare Department, nearly half of the children in Kerala are subjected to either physical or mental harassment,” he added.

Dr A Srinivas, Deputy Commissioner, Trivandrum; Shri P Bijoy, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Control Room, Trivandrum and Father Soni also spoke in the inaugural session, which was followed by a panel discussion.

Dr AS Pradeep Kumar, Additional Director of Health Services explained the various sections of India’s tobacco control law, COTPA and listed the dos and don’ts for keeping school children away from tobacco products in his presentation on ‘Tobacco Free Schools’.

“Children are most affected by tobacco products. More than 30% of children in Kerala suffer from respiratory diseases. Environmental tobacco smoke far exceeds the permissible levels in our state. Passive smoking also impairs the brain development of children,” Dr Pradeep added.

Shri Venugopal G Kurup, Superintendent, Narcotic Control Bureau, described the various factors that influence children to drugs, including domestic violence, quarrelling parents and single parents. Shri N Vinayakumaran Nair, Assistant Commandant, Hi-Tech Crime Enquiry Cell, Police Headquarters exhorted children to use technology judiciously.

Shri Mahesh Guptan, Senior Reporter, Malayala Manorama and Member, State Committee, Our Responsibility to Children; Dr Sunil Raj, Clinical Psychologist, Sree Chitra Tirunal Hospital and Shri Ratheesh SK, Child Line made subject-specific presentations.

Panel experts Dr Remani Wesley, Prof and Head of Department, Community Oncology Division, Regional Cancer Centre; Shri TK Raju, District Health Officer and Shri KR Biju, Circle Inspector of Police, Coastal Police Station also spoke.

Participants raised wide-ranging queries such as action to be taken in case of finding tobacco and other narcotic substances in and around schools, and the measures to be adopted while using social media.

The School Protection Groups (SPGs) are a multi-member body with representation of students, teachers, parents’ associations, police, ward councillors and merchant bodies, to name some. The SPGs are functional in around 3,000 schools of Kerala including 128 schools in Trivandrum city