JOIN USIn the first session of the children’s parliament held on Thursday, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Shantha Sinha said poverty does not lead to child labour but it is the other way around.
Children’s parliament was attended by 120 students from 14 schools across the city. Stressing the need for primary education for all, Sinha said, “Poverty does not cause child labour but that in fact child labour causes poverty.”
Childreach International India organised the event where students debated on solutions for achieving three Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women.
On the issue of promoting gender equality and women empowerment, a schoolgirl said, “Parents usually save their money to spend it on their daughters’ dowry. If the government can give some kind of assurance, then the parents can spend it on her education instead.”
The session was an effort to sensitise children about the development indicators.
It was a platform to test their knowledge and seek their cooperation in facing the challenges before India in achieving the MDGs. The event was a part of My School, My Voice — an interactive forum started in the schools of Delhi, National Capital Region (NCR) and Hyderabad — to disseminate information and chalk out solutions for social and development issues in India.
The forum is meant ‘for the children, by the children’.