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The UNODC Regional Office for South Asia and its partners work together through various projects to provide quality care and support services to vulnerable children at risk of physical & sexual abuse and also to provide comprehensive rehabilitation opportunities to trafficking survivors. The projects XSA/S78 - "Building the capacity of and expanding anti-human trafficking network for improved support to victims of trafficking" and IND S98 - "Reducing Children's Vulnerability to Abuse and Rehabilitation of Survivors", in collaboration with the state governments of six states of India viz. Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, are taking initiatives to strengthen the capacities of shelter care homes for women and children.
A unique national workshop, in partnership with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, was organized in Chennai on 27-28 November 2008. The workshop facilitated by Dr. Suruchi Pant, Project Coordinator, Mr. R Gunashekar, Project Officer, UNDOC ROSA and Ms. Mamta Kohli, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), brought together key stakeholders from the Women and Child Development, Social Welfare, Social Defense and Juvenile Welfare departments.
The stakeholders were updated on the independent state level progress made with regard to project activities. This gave them an opportunity to share their experiences and priorities in addressing the needs of women and children in shelter care homes.
Prof. K. Sekar, Head of Department, Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) spoke on the desired psycho social care for women in distress and children in need of care. They also got the opportunity to effectively link up and network with organizations like ETASHA, SMILE Foundation and NIMHANS for initiating livelihoods skills, career counseling and support for women and children in shelter homes and carry forward their plan for psycho social training of care givers in shelter homes.
The participants arrived at a common understanding of the priorities and chalked out an action plan.The synergies formed will also help the projects in implementing the activities in a better way.
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