Children clubs for child rights

Nirmal Mangar, TT, Gangtok, Sept. 26: The Sikkim social welfare department has started forming clubs in schools across the state to raise awareness against child abuse and trafficking.

Each school will have a club called Students Against Abuse and Trafficking (SAAT) and the initiative is being funded by the Centre. The clubs will operate under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme.

Director of the social welfare department, J.K. Rai, said the main objective of the clubs would be to make children aware of child rights, child trafficking, inappropriate touch and other such issues. "We have started the clubs in six schools in August. We want to reach out to around 120 schools, both government and private, in the first phase," he said.

There are around 1,000 schools in Sikkim, both government and private.

Each club will have 30 members, including some school teachers, and focus would be on students from Classes VIII to X. The clubs would be headed by the respective school principals, said the director.

A senior official of the social welfare department said: "Girls would be given basic training on se