Bhubaneswar: Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Yogesh Bahadur Khurania on Friday advised adolescents to focus on educational content on social media and use it to build a brighter future.
The state police chief said this while launching Juventica, a child welfare police officers (CWPOs) outreach programme with adolescents.
Odisha Police, in collaboration with UNICEF, launched the awareness programme aimed at strengthening engagement, awareness, protection, and support for adolescents through CWPOs across the state.
Through ‘Juventica’, Odisha Police was trying to make the system more convenient, safe and friendly for children and adolescents. Nowadays, a large number of adolescents are spending their time enjoying negative content on social media, Khurania said.
Adolescents are also facing mental stress due to cybercrimes and social issues at various times. “In such a situation, it is the prime responsibility of all of us to give them moral education, listen to their voices carefully and provide proper advice and moral support,” the DGP said.
Khurania urged police officers to set up a good relationship with adolescents and be more aware and careful about their safety and well-being.
Prasanta Kumar Dash, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Odisha, said, “Adolescents need trusted adults and institutions they can turn to without fear or hesitation. Initiatives like JUVENTICA help create meaningful spaces for young people to interact openly, build confidence, and better understand where they can seek support. Bringing these conversations into police stations is an important step towards making child protection systems more accessible, responsive, and adolescent-friendly.”
Rukmani Nayak a participant from Salia Sahi, Bhubaneswar, shared, “I had never visited a police station before, and when we were asked to come here, we were a little hesitant. But after interacting with the police personnel today, our fear has gone. They listened to us patiently and made us feel comfortable. Now I feel confident that if I face any problem in the future, I can come to the police and seek their help”.
The outreach programme facilitated meaningful conversations among adolescents, child welfare police officers (CWPOs), and frontline stakeholders about the challenges young people face today, particularly in digital spaces. Interactive engagements and exposure visits to police stations encouraged greater awareness, trust, and confidence among participants.
More than 15,000 adolescents from about 555 police stations across the state participated in the programme.
