Right to expression for children mooted

To end age-old practice of not allowing children say in matters concerning them, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has come out with draft National Policy for Children 2012 that seeks to give children right “to express their opinion in all matters affecting them.”

 The draft policy will be adopted after receiving opinions from various stakeholders. It is an improvement over the approach adopted in National Child Policy 1974 which endorses state interventions like making programmes that enable children “grow up to become robust citizens, physically fit, mentally alert and morally healthy, endowed with the skills and motivations provided by society.”

“To affirm the Government’s commitment to the rights based approach in addressing the continuing and emerging challenges in the situation of children, the Government of India hereby adopts this Resolution on the National Policy for Children 2012,” says the draft.

Acknowledging democratic rights of children it further says that “children, especially girls, are free to express their views and their voices are heard and their opinions are respected in all matters affecting them in any way they are able to communicate, in particular judicial and administrative proceedings and interactions, in accordance with their age, maturity and evolving capacity.”