JOIN US'Empower children to exercise their rights'
College of Teachers Education Joint Director and Principal Philomena Lobo said that there is a need to empower children, to exercise their rights as and when required.
Speaking at a seminar on ‘Right to Education and role of civil society in protecting the rights of children’ organised by Shikshana Sampanmoola Kendragala Okkuta and Padi Valored here on Saturday, she said that in the name of reality shows, children are pressurised to excel in the competition and are forced to practice for 24 hours.
“Many parents even pressurise their wards to get first rank in their studies. Children undergo mental trauma with such pressure from the parents. Owing to pressure from the parents, the kids are losing their innocence and childhood, in the quest for getting selection in the reality shows.”
As long as parents and guardians believe in the rights of children and respect them, one can not give justice to the child’s rights, she said.
“Helicopter parenting can have a negative impact on the general well-being of a child. A child with hovering parents is more apt to be medicated for anxiety,” she added.
Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Chairperson Asha Nayak said that a sapling needs to be nurtured to allow it to grow into a huge tree.
Similarly, children needs to be nurtured. There is a lack of awareness on the child rights among the general public. In a country where 80 per cent of the people are living below poverty live, where education is a distant dream for several thousands of children, teachers play a vital role in moulding the personality of the children, as kids spend majority of their time in school.
Society should help the civil society members to implement the Acts meant for the protection of child and children’s rights. Discrimination among male and female child at home is also a kind of violation of rights of the children.
The seeds of sex discrimination, inequality are sown at home itself. There is a need to educate parents on such discrimination.
She lamented that civil society does not make hue and cry over the violation of child rights. Member of the civil society do not even inform the child labourers working in their neighbourhood. The civilsed society in Dakshina Kannada should raise their voice against the violation of child rights, she said.
Karnataka State Government Primary School Teachers Association General Secretary Ramakrishna Malar said that illiteracy, ill health and poverty are biggest enemies of humanbeing. If an individual is educated, then he can lead a decent life.
“We should not come in the way of freedom of the children,” he added. Shikshana Sampanmoola Kendragala Okkuta President Umesh Nirmal presided. Sahydri Educational Institutions HR department’s Geo D’Silva CACL-K Convenor Renny D’Souza spoke on ‘Child rights protection and civil organisation.’