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KOHIMA — The deputy director of Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) under Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, Richa Ojha, on Thursday informed that the ministry is working towards incorporating two new categories of children into the adoption process.
She stated this during the Nagaland state orientation training on ‘Adoption Regulations 2022,’ sponsored by CARA and organised by State Adoption Resource Agency Mission Vatsalya, Department of Social Welfare, at Highland Park in Kohima.
Ojha expressed concern on dip of figures with regards to adoption of children in the state and emphasised the role of machineries in the state and districts saying that all agencies are the feet and hands of the ministry.
She highlighted that CARA is a statutory body under Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act with the main aim to promote and facilitate adoptions and coordinate with state agencies. She also mentioned other roles and functions such as to regulate intermediary adoptions and monitored any child going abroad besides framing regulations for the new regulations on adoptions.
She stated that CARA is a policy making body as far as adoption is concerned, while it also functions as the central authority for regulating inter-country adoptions.
Pointing out the Supreme Court observation on the dipping number of adoptions in the country, she informed that under the scope of the JJ Act, CARA has been looking forward to two new categories of children to bring them in adoption namely children of unfit parents, who are mentally challenged or serving jail sentences and not bothered to look after the children without social support systems and the children in Child Care Institution (CCI), whose parents or guardians have not visited them for more than a year and are languishing in the CCI.
She informed that the ministry has dispatched guidelines across to all the districts for the identification of such children besides the abandoned, orphan and surrendered children.
Pointing out that Nagaland is a closely knit society, she asserted that if there are children of such cases, they need to be identified and find out possibility to be kept in foster care institutions.
Adding that CARA now has approved foster care module with fit families who are willing to register for taking children in temporary care, she informed that those foster families can register with required documents. She further stated that foster care of children is also a very good option in taking a child out of the situation and placing them in families besides adoption.
Delivering the keynote address, Tosheli Zhimomi, director Social Welfare department and member secretary of State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA), said that Nagaland, as a tribal society, has its own tradition and customs which have been practiced since time immemorial.
She pointed out that adoption of children is not new to the Naga society as kinship adoption has always been prevalent in the Naga society. She added that there is a culture where the community comes together to take collective responsibility for the less fortunate children. She, therefore, stated that cases of abandonment or surrendering of children are fewer compared to many other states.
Zhimomi, however, maintained that this practice has its own limitations and challenges when it comes to serving the best interest of a child. She said many children are fortunate enough to be integrated within his/her own kinsmen and treated well.
She informed that the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and its subsequent amendments aims to ensure the welfare and well-being of orphaned, abandoned or surrendered children by facilitating their adoption into loving families.
The director maintained that adoption is a remarkable institution with far-reaching societal impacts which not only transforms the lives of the adopted children but also shapes the future of families and communities.
She also highlighted the importance of adoption under the Juvenile Justice Act as it safeguards every child's fundamental right to grow up in a loving family and provide them with a sense of belonging, stability and security. According to her, it also empowers prospective adoptive parents as the Act opens the door for individuals, irrespective of marital status, to fulfill their dreams of parenthood.
Additionally, she stated that adoption promotes social inclusion and breaks down societal stigmas associated with adoption as it underscores the idea that love, care and support are essential components of parenthood, regardless of biological connections.
She exuded hope that the training programme would empower the participants for the effective implementation of the adoption guidelines in their respective districts. She further stated that the objective of the training was to generate awareness about legal adoption with the participation of the stakeholders
The inaugural programme was led by Imkongzenla, joint director of Social Welfare department.
During the technical session, Richa Ojha spoke on ‘Adoption regulations and CARINGS,’ while the programme manager of SARA, Renchumi Imti spoke on ‘Role of child welfare committees (CWC).’
The training witnessed participation of officials from the district administration, medical, district child protection units, child welfare committees and specialised adoption agencies such as legal services authority, child care institutions, child helpline, Nagaland State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NSCPCR) among others.