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.