CHILD RIGHTS ADVOCATES

Every Child Has Rights, We Should Ensure it

ENSURE.......

C - Care and Protection
H - Health&Nutrition
I - Innovative Education
L - Legal Safeguards & Participation
D - Development

For All Children

Rights of the Child In India, the post-independence era has experienced an unequivocal expression of the commitment of the government to the cause of children through constitutional provisions, policies, programmes and legislation. The Constitution of India in Article 39 of the Directive Principles of State Policy pledges that "the State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing .... that the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused, and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength, that children are given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner, and in conditions of freedom and dignity, and that childhood and youth are protected against exploitation, and against moral and material abandonment." As a follow-up of this commitment and being a party to the UN declaration on the Rights of the Child 1959, India adopted the National Policy on Children in 1974. The policy reaffirmed the constitutional provisions and stated that "it shall be the policy of the State to provide adequate services to children, both before and after birth and through the period of growth to ensure their full physical, mental and social development. The State shall progressively increase the scope of such services so that within a reasonable time all children in the country enjoy optimum conditions for their balanced growth." As the responsibility of children's nurture and proper growth is bestowed on the Government, children's programmes have occupied a prominent place in the national plans for human resource development. Successive Five Year Plans have provided the wherewithal to deal with these issues. In the last decade of this century, dramatic technological developments particularly in the areas of health, nutrition, education and related spheres have opened up new vistas of opportunities for the cause of children. India's Commitment Towards Children's Rights The Constitution of India, the National Policy for Children, many other policies and legislation accord priority to children's needs. The Government of India ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 2nd December, 1992. Accordingly, the government is taking action to review the national and state legislation and bring it in line with the provisions of the Convention. It has also developed appropriate monitoring procedures to assess progress in implementing the Convention, involved all relevant government/ministries/departments, international agencies, non-governmental organisations, and the legal profession in the implementation and reporting process, publicised the Convention, and sought public inputs for frank and transparent reporting. India is also a signatory to the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children. In pursuance of the commitment made at the World Summit, the Department of Women and Child Development under the Ministry of Human Resource Development has formulated a National Plan of Action for Children. Most of the recommendations of the World Summit Action Plan are reflected in India's National Plan of Action. The National Plan of Action has been formulated keeping in mind the needs, rights and aspirations of 300 million children in the country and sets out quantifiable time limits for India's Charter of Action for Children by 2000 AD. The priority areas in the Plan are health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and environment. The Plan gives special consideration to children in difficult circumstances and aims at providing a framework, for actualisation of the objectives of the Convention in the Indian context. The National Plan of Action also lists out activities to achieve these goals. To make the aims and activities of the plan more need-based and area-specific, the Central Government has urged the State governments to prepare a Plan of Action for Children for their States, taking into account the regional disparities that may exist. The Girl Child The slogan of the Indian government for the Girl Child campaign was "A Happy Girl is the Future of our Country". Traditions, customs and social practices that place greater value on sons than on daughters, who are often viewed as an economic burden, still stand in the way of the girl child being able to achieve her full potential. A sustained educational campaign by the government and the NGOs has been started to ensure that baseless discrimination against the girl child is eliminated. The Government of India has taken measures to protect and promote the Girl Child. It has announced its "Education for All" campaign which is to reach 19-24 million children in the age group 6-14, of whom 60 percent are girls. A National Plan of Action for the Girl Child for 1991-2000 was also announced. This plan seeks to prevent female foeticide and infanticide, eliminate gender discrimination, provide safe drinking water and fodder near homes, rehabilitate and protect girls from exploitation, assault and abuse. The government's national policy of education and the Action Research Project on "The Girl Child and the Family" are also aimed at formulation of programs to improve the status of the girl child. Street Children It is estimated that there are 314,700 street children in Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Kanpur, Bangalore and Hyderabad combined and about 100,000 in Delhi. Factors which have given rise to the increase in number of street children in India include poverty, family break-ups, armed conflicts, natural and man-made disasters, lack of employment opportunities and the attraction of cities. Street Children have received much attention in the media, both national and international in the recent years. The awareness and sensitization efforts have led to several initiatives involving numerous groups working with street children, launching of specific schemes and programs at the local, state and national level and initiation of numerous studies on street children. Non-Governmental Organizations or NGOs in India are doing laudable work in this area and are dealing with issues related to shelter, health, education and training of these children. A Central Scheme for the welfare of street children has recently been initiated by the Ministry of Welfare, Government of India. This scheme gives grant-in-aid to NGOs working on issues of street children. India has also ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child which came into force in 1990. This ratification implies that India will ensure wide awareness about Child issues among the government agencies, implementing agencies, the media, the judiciary, the public at large and the children themselves. The Government's endeavour is to create a conducive climate for acceptance of the goals of the Convention and to amend all legislation, policies and schemes to meet the standards set in the treaty framework. CHILD RIGHTS AROUND THE WORLD : © UNICEF/ HQ05-1244/LeMoyne Children have rights as human beings and also need special care and protection. UNICEF’s mission is to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided in doing this by the provisions and principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Built on varied legal systems and cultural traditions, the Convention is a universally agreed set of non-negotiable standards and obligations. These basic standards—also called human rights—set minimum entitlements and freedoms that should be respected by governments. They are founded on respect for the dignity and worth of each individual, regardless of race, colour, gender, language, religion, opinions, origins, wealth, birth status or ability and therefore apply to every human being everywhere. With these rights comes the obligation on both governments and individuals not to infringe on the parallel rights of others. These standards are both interdependent and indivisible; we cannot ensure some rights without—or at the expense of—other rights. A legally binding instrument The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not. The leaders also wanted to make sure that the world recognized that children have human rights too. The Convention sets out these rights in 54 articles and two Optional Protocols. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. The four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. Every right spelled out in the Convention is inherent to the human dignity and harmonious development of every child. The Convention protects children's rights by setting standards in health care; education; and legal, civil and social services. By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the Convention (by ratifying or acceding to it), national governments have committed themselves to protecting and ensuring children's rights and they have agreed to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community. States parties to the Convention are obliged to develop and undertake all actions and policies in the light of the best interests of the child. Child Abuse Child Abuse definition, prevention , neglect, types, treatment, articles What Is Child Abuse? "Child abuse" can be defined as causing or permitting any harmful or offensive contact on a child's body; and, any communication or transaction of any kind which humiliates, shames, or frightens the child. Some child development experts go a bit further, and define child abuse as any act or omission, which fails to nurture or in the upbringing of the children. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act defines child abuse and neglect as: “at a minimum, any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.” A child of any age, sex, race, religion, and socioeconomic background can fall victim to child abuse and neglect. There are many factors that may contribute to the occurrence of child abuse and neglect. Parents may be more likely to maltreat their children if they abuse drugs or alcohol. Some parents may not be able to cope with the stress resulting from the changes and may experience difficulty in caring for their children. Major types of child abuse are : Physical Abuse, Emotional Abuse, & Sexual child Abuse, Neglect.( Physical neglect, educational neglect, emotional neglect) Emotional Abuse: (also known as: verbal abuse, mental abuse, and psychological maltreatment) Includes acts or the failures to act by parents or caretakers that have caused or could cause, serious behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or mental disorders. This can include parents/caretakers using extreme and/or bizarre forms of punishment, such as confinement in a closet or dark room or being tied to a chair for long periods of time or threatening or terrorizing a child. Less severe acts, but no less damaging are belittling or rejecting treatment, using derogatory terms to describe the child, habitual scapegoating or blaming. Neglect: The failure to provide for the child’s basic needs. Neglect can be physical, educational, or emotional. Physical neglect can include not providing adequate food or clothing, appropriate medical care, supervision, or proper weather protection (heat or coats). It may include abandonment. Educational neglect includes failure to provide appropriate schooling or special educational needs, allowing excessive truancies. Psychological neglect includes the lack of any emotional support and love, never attending to the child, spousal abuse, drug and alcohol abuse including allowing the child to participate in drug and alcohol use. Physical Abuse: The inflicting of physical injury upon a child. This may include, burning, hitting, punching, shaking, kicking, beating, or otherwise harming a child. The parent or caretaker may not have intended to hurt the child, the injury is not an accident. It may, however, been the result of over-discipline or physical punishment that is inappropriate to the child’s age. Sexual Abuse: The inappropriate sexual behavior with a child. It includes fondling a child’s genitals, making the child fondle the adult’s genitals, intercourse, incest, rape, sodomy, exhibitionism and sexual exploitation. To be considered child abuse these acts have to be committed by a person responsible for the care of a child (for example a baby-sitter, a parent, or a daycare provider) or related to the child. If a stranger commits these acts, it would be considered sexual assault and handled solely be the police and criminal courts. Commercial or other exploitation of a child refers to use of the child in work or other activities for the benefit of others. This includes, but is not limited to, child labour and child prostitution. These activities are to the detriment of the child’s physical or mental health, education, or spiritual, moral or social-emotional development. Child abuse can have the following consequences : 1. It will encourage your child to lie, resent, fear, and retaliate, instead of loving, trusting, and listening 2. It will alienate your child from you and the rest of your family & make him a recluse. 3. It will lower your child's self esteem, and affect your child's psychological development and ability to behave normally outside his home. 4. When your child grows up, your child could probably carry on the family tradition, and abuse your grandchildren. 5. Your child may exclude you from his adult life. For example, you might not be invited to your child's wedding, or not be allowed any contact or relationship with your grandchildren. UNCRC a mile stone for Child Rights This convention has given a strong weapon in the hands of various stakeholder to serve the cause of child rights. Duty bearers should ensure it.

your feedback is appreciated.

email: childrightsadvocates@gmail.com
visit :www.childrightsadvocates.we.bs