New Delhi: The new Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) chairperson, Om Prakash Vyas, outlined his priorities a day after taking charge, saying the commission would adopt a proactive, field-based approach in tackling child rights violations, rather than waiting for complaints to be filed.“My top priorities will be addressing cases under the Pocso Act, child labour, drug abuse and peddling involving children, and instances of what is commonly referred to as ‘love jihad’. This month, we will start with Pocso awareness. We will not wait for complaints to reach us. Our teams will conduct field visits to identify vulnerable children, high-risk areas and streets, and intervene proactively. We also plan to map school dropouts and work in coordination with the human rights commission and other departments to strengthen child protection mechanisms across Delhi,” Vyas told TOI Wednesday.Vyas brings decades of experience in child rights and human rights. He was previously chairperson of a Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Delhi and joint registrar (law) at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), where he worked for over 27 years in its investigation and legal divisions.An alumnus of the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, he holds an LLB, an LLM, a PhD in Law, and a master’s degree in human rights from the University of Sydney.CM Rekha Gupta said that Delhi govt is not only formulating policies for child safety but is also continuously working to ensure their effective implementation on the ground. As part of the recently launched Child Protection Month, all concerned departments have been directed to ensure the effective implementation of the Pocso Act, constitute Child Protection Committees in schools, conduct largescale awareness campaigns and further strengthen child safety mechanisms across institutions. She said the commission would play a key role in making these efforts even more effective.During his tenure at the NHRC, Vyas played a key role in drafting guidelines on arrests, custodial deaths and encounter deaths. He also authored a book on bonded labour published by the commission.The appointments revive the DCPCR after nearly three years without a chairperson.Dr. Rashmi Singh, Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development (WCD), GNCTD, who was also officiating as the Chairperson of the Commission, stated, “The reconstitution of the DCPCR will significantly strengthen Delhi’s child rights framework.”
