Udupi: Concerted Effort Necessary to Protect Child Rights - State Commission
Pics: Hemanath Padubidri
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SM)
Udupi Jul 22: Vanitha Torvi, member, Karnataka State Child Rights Protection Commission, visited the district regarding child rights, the values of education, and lack of awareness in rural areas.
India is a place where children are forced to work in order to survive. These children are working as domestic help, on streets, in factories, and hotels silently suffering abuse. ‘Save the Children’ works to end exploitative child labour.
There are many departments like child welfare department, CWC, and Ministry of Women and Child Development to protect the life of a child, but whether they come to help the really needy? The failure of the concerned departments in performing necessary campaigns shocked her.
Strict measures should be taken to prevent children from begging, which is another crime violating children’s rights. The phenomenon of street children, which is predominantly urban, is considered to be the most important problem facing children today. Strong family ties and an informal system of social protection upheld in rural areas usually keeps children off the streets, although many street children in the cities have migrated from rural areas to the cities individually or along with their families.
Torvi was disheartened that Udupi is highly known as the most literate district but lack of awareness is not only amongst the rural and the illiterate but also among the urban and the literate.
She put forward an example of a 14-year-old boy missing school because he works in a tiles fitting factory in Ambalpadi and earns substantially well for the family. Initially, the work was during the summer vacation but it continued later with him missing on his education.
Such children may turn to crime or become criminals in later years, so it is essential every child gets education up to 10th standard compulsorily. Torvi insisted that awareness of government projects like free books, free uniforms, free food, and education facilities be given to the child.
Children in the age group of 0 to 18 should be protected and awareness should be created among them regarding their rights. Besides, measures should be taken during the tender process itself to make it mandatory on the part of the concerned people to ban children from turning labourers.
Children Welfare Commission, Juvenile Justice Board, and the labour department must work in the best way to protect children’s rights.