Children get vocal, assert their rights

25th Anniversary

In the fabric of the Indian family milieu, children are always treated as mere extensions of their guardians.

They are the most precious little members of the set-up, nourished and guarded by their elders; often, the most difficult decisions of the family are taken keeping their comfort in mind. And yet, they are the children, who often end up as the most physically and emotionally abused constituents. If one may say so, in our oriental context, children have no tangible rights. They are a second-class citizens, almost invisible.   

Recently, The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) brought the concept of ‘rights of the child’ to India with a novel and heart-warming programme. As the world celebrates the 25th year of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), UNICEF, along with children of the Nine is Mine campaign, engaged in an audit on children’s experiences of their entitlements and rights. Over four days, July 17 - 22, close to 175 children from 26 States and Union Territories of the country gathered in Delhi to participate in the National Opinion Poll Campaign for children.
 At the St Columba’s School, children between ages 14 - 17 evaluated each of the UNCRC defined rights from the perspective of their own lives in various social contexts of different parts of India. These children will now reach out to over 10,000 children across the country through workshops, to collect their opinions and expectations on the issue. The outcomes of the audit would be released in time for the UNCRC anniversary.

At the kick-off event, children shared their experiences of the four pillars of child rights, namely ‘survival, development, protection and participation’, through art, instrumental music, puppets and dance performances. Present on the occasion, deputy representative, UNICEF India, David McLoughlin said, “This poll aims to provide children with a platform to express their expectations, to make their voices heard to leaders. In many cases, children’s voices are not heard simply because they do not vote. We believe children have the right to be informed and to have a dialogue on matters that relate to them. And we, as adults, need to learn to respect that and give full consideration to their views.”  

Gangte Roshni, 14, a student from Arunachal Pradesh, said, “The workshops helped us understand our rights under the convention, also we were told about the different mechanisms and bodies that safeguard our rights.” 

Speaking about the ‘Play the Rights Card’ game, a unique tool developed by the children themselves to undertake the audit in their own regions, Br Steve Rocha, convenor of the Nine is Mine campaign, said, “The tool is designed on the model of playing cards. Each card is dedicated to one Article, which provides its explanation, how if affects the child and an overview of its guardians – namely, commissions, NGOs, conventions, etc.”

“Referring to these, children will rate the status of their rights and provide their feedback. This will be essential in gauging the status of rights of children in India.”