The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Sunday wrote a written statement against social media platforms to withdraw posting or propagating the news of direct adoption of children who lost their parents due to COVID-19. Needless to say, such posts are still often posted by netizens, raising doubts among public.
In the written letter order to WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and Telegram, the child rights body warned the social media sites of stringent action in case of non-compliance and demanded them to provide the compliance taken in the matter within 10 days. It identified that most of the posts are authentic and asked to provide the source.
This happened subsequent to NCPCR receiving objections against social media pages/posts publicising adoption of children who lost their parents during COVID- 19 .
“It is noted that children who have lost both parents are children in need of care and protection under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. 2015 and that the procedure as laid down under the Act has to be followed for placing these children in adoption with families willing to adopt. All or any of such adoptions which happen without following the procedures of the Act are illegal and in violation of Section 80 and 81 of the Juvenile Justice An, 2015. The Act under these provisions lays down strict punitive punishment for not following the procedure for adoption, as laid down under the Act,” the Commission said.