When children are born, they bring immense joy and happiness, not just to the parents but the entire family and community. The cute little bundle of joy need love, care and protection and have the equal rights of an adult towards a better life. As they grow older and can understand their rights, they should be sensitized by the government, teachers and parents.
According to UNICEF, ‘all children have all these rights, no matter who they are, where they live, what language they speak, what their religion is, what they think, what they look like, if they are a boy or girl, if they have a disability, if they are rich or poor, and no matter who their parents or families are or what their parents or families believe or do. No child should be treated unfairly for any reason.’
Chairperson Peter F Borges of Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) is working on ways to improve the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the child protection system at urban and village level. “We are training children as well as teachers in the schools to make them aware of their rights. So far, we have trained 3000 teachers who in turn will train more teachers and present sessions in the schools. Our aim is to have sufficient people in the schools to build a sustainable system with awareness about personal safety, cyber safety and online gaming safety. The ecosystem should be advanced as the children are much more exposed to the internet now,” explains Peter.
Having worked with children and young adults as part of Human Touch NGO, Peter finds that attention to children’s rights is very slow. Unlike activism in other important aspects of life, not many voices are heard as desired when it comes to standing up for children. “There is largely a lot that needs to be done. There are suppressed voices of children as there are several delayed reports of cases. Children should be comforted and have people who they can trust and confide in especially when there are cases of incest. We are not sensitizing the children well. We have to invest in children. In the recent months, there were 7-8 cases of child sexual abuse. There must be a larger number of online sexual abuse which is not reported,” adds Peter.
Peter states that Bal sabhas should be made compulsory every six months in village panchayats that deals with several isues that are related to children. “I passed a resolution on paper to organise Bal Gramsabhas in the village panchayats and out of 193 panchayats even if 100 organise the Bal Gramsabha it will have a great impact. It should be a conversation with the children. In Goa, the only two villages who have organised Bal Gramsabha for several years is Moira and Siolim, thanks to dynamic people taking the lead in the village,” says Peter. GSCPCR will observe Child Safety Week from November 14 to 20 as a collaborative movement to raise awareness and encourage collective action on the issue of child sexual abuse.
As the secretary of Goa Consumer Forum and the convenor of Goa Women’s Forum, Lorna Fernandes, has been working closely with children through different awareness programmes. Speaking about educating children about their rights, she says, “Sessions on the rights of children based on the ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child’ need to be organised in schools. However, for this to happen, there has to be a proactive approach by all stakeholders. Keeping in mind the current situation wherein children are exposed to many challenges, be it the internet, peer pressure, crime etc, it is important to have a consolidated approach.”
Goa Women’s Forum appeals to all members of the Village Child Committee (VCC) of all Village Panchayats, to observe the week from November 14 to 20 as Child Rights Week. They recommend to try to organise a Bal Gramsabha, which gives children an opportunity to speak up in the village on issues of lack of playgrounds, public toilets, irregular bus transport, mental stress, bullying, crime etc, during this week.
“The Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) and the Village Child Committee (VCC) need to work together to plan these sessions for children. For this purpose, there is a need for resource persons from NGO’s and associations of professionals to assist in this process and the Child Rights Week is an excellent opportunity to begin this process,” adds Lorna.
President of the Children’s Court for the State of Goa since March 14, 2022, Sayonara Telles-Laad started her practice as an advocate from December 3, 1987. Over the years, she has come across several cases where children are involved. “Through my interaction with children, it appears that there is hardly any awareness in respect of the Laws and the punishment for the offences committed against children i.e. The Goa Children’s Court Act, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) and Indian Penal Code. Awareness and sensitization is a must for schools, colleges and the public,” says Sayonara.
Sayonara is also the author of ‘Connecting to Serve… Legal Services, My Journey…A Memoir,’ a book with information about the Legal Services. She is aware about the increase in reports by children, “There is an increase in reports by children about abuse no doubt, since there are counsellors who are appointed in schools and colleges and children do approach them with their grievances. NGOs and the Victim Assistance Unit also reach out to the victims and help them report.”
How children are made comfortable by the authorities? “Children are a vulnerable lot. The Children’s court and The POCSO court are child friendly courts and we see that the children are at ease. Their identities are not disclosed. Highest degree of confidentiality is maintained. Support person/counsellors are appointed to assist the children/ victims,” informs Sayonara.
Adv Lida João is an educationist and member of Juvenile Justice Board, external member on POSH Committees, former chairperson of Child Welfare Committee South and in-charge Chairperson of Child Welfare Committee North Goa. She recently released her book ‘Know Thy Law - a layman’s guide to Basic Indian laws which Children’s rights.
According to the Legal Services Authority Act 1987, a child and a woman and other marginalized categories are entitled to free legal aid services. Rights of child include right to be alive, right to survival, right to identity and nationality, right to be respected, recognized and valued, loved and cared for, right to protection, safety and privacy and have a family, right to development education, rest and leisure recreation and right to participation expression. There are more than 50 laws which directly or indirectly pertain to children from the juvenile justice act to codes to fundamental rights under the constitution,” says Adv Lida.
A part-time radio jockey with Akashvani, she was designated to speak on child rights, child labour on radio by District Legal Services Authority South. She adds, “Creating awareness through Bal Gramsabhas, child protection policies, counselling services, campaigns, street plays letters by children to voice their rights wherever they are violated is important.”
An important national asset, a child requires love, care and attention and also the information about their rights as a citizen of the nation.
A FEW CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
Every child has the right to be alive.
Children have the right to their own identity.
Children have the right to give their opinions freely on issues that affect them.
Children have the right to share freely with others what they learn,
think and feel.
Every child has the right to privacy.
Children have the right to get information from the Internet, radio, television, newspapers, books and other sources.
Every child who cannot be looked after by their own family has the right to be looked after properly by people who respect the child’s religion, culture, language and other aspects of their life.
When children are adopted, the most important thing is to do what is
best for them.
Children who move from their home country to another country as refugees should get help and protection and have the same rights as children born in that country.
Every child with a disability should enjoy the best possible life in society.
Children have the right to the best health care possible, clean water to drink, healthy food and a clean and safe environment to live in.
Children have the right to food, clothing and a safe place to live so they can develop in the best possible way.
Every child has the right to an education.
Every child has the right to rest, relax, play and to take part in cultural and creative activities. Children have the right to be protected from doing work that is dangerous or bad for their education, health or development.
Children have the right to be protected from all other kinds of exploitation.
Children who are accused of breaking the law should not be killed, tortured, treated cruelly, put in prison forever, or put in prison with adults.
Children have the right to be protected during war.
Children accused of breaking the law have the right to legal help
and fair treatment.
November 14 is celebrated as national Children’s Day. Besides celebrating the day with programmes and activities, it is also important to sensitize children about their rights as important citizens of the country