Guwahati, Aug 8: Children separated from their families during floods could become easy targets for trafficking, abuse and exploitation, prompting authorities to step up vigilance and caution the public against taking vulnerable children home or attempting to arrange their adoption. The State Child Protection Society (SCPS), Assam, under Mission Vatsalya and the Department of Women and Child Development, government of Assam, has issued an advisory for the protection of children affected by floods. The Society calls for coordinated efforts by citizens, volunteers, relief workers, media professionals and public authorities to ensure the safety and dignity of vulnerable children. “Floods may leave children separated from their families, injured, orphaned, abandoned, or otherwise without proper care and protection. Such children are at an increased risk of trafficking, abuse, exploitation, neglect, and other forms of violence. Every citizen, volunteer, relief worker, media professional, and public authority has a shared responsibility to safeguard their rights, safety, and dignity,” stated the advisory. The SCPS has advised people not to take an unaccompanied child home, offer to adopt the child or make appeals on social media for adoption or foster care. It has also warned against handing over such children to individuals, organisations or volunteers without approval from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). The advisory said many children who appear to be alone may still have parents, relatives or guardians searching for them. Any decision regarding their care, restoration, foster care or adoption must follow the legal process under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The SCPS has also urged people not to upload photographs, videos or personal details of vulnerable children on Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube or other social media platforms. Anyone finding a child who is separated from family, injured, abandoned or in distress has been asked to immediately inform the nearest police station or call 112. The Child Helpline 1098 may also be contacted for assistance. The District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) and Child Welfare Committee of the district concerned should also be informed. The SCPS has also cautioned against disclosing a child’s name, address, school details or any other information that could reveal the child’s identity. Disclosure of a child’s identity is prohibited under Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and is punishable. The society has further urged people not to crowd around, film or interview children staying at relief camps, child friendly spaces, shelters or child care institutions. It stressed that children should be given adequate space to feel safe and recover. The SCPS has appealed to all stakeholders to remain vigilant and ensure that children affected by floods are protected from trafficking, exploitation and other forms of violence while safeguarding their privacy and dignity. Just Rights for Children, a civil society network expressed its appreciation for the State Child Protection Society (SCPS), Assam for issuing the advisory aimed at safeguarding children affected by the ongoing flood situation in the State. Considering the increased movement of displaced populations across States, Just Rights for Children has also called for immediate enhancement of vigilance at railway stations and aboard trains in West Bengal and Assam, which often serve as major transit routes for children being trafficked from disaster-affected regions. The organisation has reached out to the Railway Protection Force (RPF), urging intensified surveillance, strict monitoring of suspicious movements involving children, and strengthened coordination with Child Welfare Committees, Government Railway Police, District Child Protection Units, and child protection stakeholders. Rishi Kant, national secretary, Just Rights for Children, said “The current flood situation in Assam has created an extremely vulnerable environment for children and women. During such disasters, children who are separated from their families or have lost their parents become highly susceptible to trafficking and exploitation, particularly through railway transit routes. In this scenario, the advisory issued by the State Child Protection Society, is a timely and commendable initiative that demonstrates the State’s commitment to protecting children during emergencies.”