The Suraksha campaign is an attempt to make people aware about child protection issues such as violence, abuse, exploitation, discrimination and neglect, emotional and mental health issues that children face among others. On Monday Governor of Assam, Prof Jagdish Mukhi launched U-Report for the Suraksha campaign.
The campaign was launched after the state saw an increase of 37.41% in the number of crimes against children from 2017 to 2018, as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Prof Mukhi said, in campaign lunched “I will direct all VCs to inform students about U-Report and ask them to participate. Similarly, I encourage all volunteers of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Bharat Scouts and Guides, and National Cadet Corps to join this endeavour”.
“We asked volunteers about the impact of COVID-19 in their lives, and they voiced concerns over cyber-bullying and being subject to corporal punishment, and not knowing what to do about it,” said Deepak Kumar, Regional Director, NSS NE.
“With U-Report, we aim to reach out to young people of Assam to inform them and learn about their experiences. This will help us understand the extent of the problem in the state and present it to duty bearers to inform policies and programmes,” said Dr Madhulika Jonathan, Chief of UNICEF Assam.
“With repeated engagement and action with wider networks of people and communities, NSS volunteers will be able to identify barriers and action solutions,” added Dr Madhulika Jonathan, Chief of UNICEF Assam.
Founder of the WAY Foundation, Indrajit Sinha said, “This UReport quiz is just the first of many engagements with young people in Assam. In collaboration with NSS and UNICEF, we are planning a number of workshops with university and college students and aim to support them in starting social action projects on protection issues.”
According UNICEF data, U-Report is now active in 68 countries, benefiting over 11 million users all over the world. Country U-Reports are run by UNICEF and partners on the ground, including local government, non-governmental organizations and young people themselves. U-Report is available via numerous messaging, social media and SMS channels, and even works on a basic mobile phone. It is free, anonymous and easy to use.
