Bhubaneswar: Adoption is the best way to ensure a family for all children. The Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) and the Youth Council for Development Alternatives (YCDA) in association with UNICEF Odisha organised a workshop in Bhubaneswar, Wednesday, to encourage adoption in the state.
The workshop aimed to raise awareness among all stakeholders to ensure that every child has a loving, caring family. The workshop addressed the concerns about children outside parental care, and how alternative care arrangements are not adequate in India.
Our main priority is to give a safe and caring family to children which gives a child a stable start and equips him/her to live a fulfilling life.
“We always work to support families who are at risk of separation as a preventive approach by strengthening families and to provide a family to children who do not have it. We explore alternative care options like foster care, kinship care, aftercare etc. We work with the government’s child protection mechanism and strengthen community service delivery structures. This workshop has helped in spreading awareness,” said Sandhyabhuti Pradhan, the Chairperson of the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
Legal procedures regarding adoption must be made easy for those who want to adopt, she added.
“Millions of children live without families. Without the love of a family, these children often find themselves at high risk of impaired emotional and social development, physical violence, exploitation, sexual abuse and neglect,” she added.