National Workshop on Children's Rights and the Importance of Their Participation

Thereon, children went on to detail the problems they were facing in their respective areas. They expressed concern over issues like child labor, lack of education, pollution, gender discrimination against girls, drug abuse, water problem, poverty, lack of participation etc. Discussions supported by hard factual information reiterated the fact that children rights were being grossly violated - In 1990 the Government spent only 3.8% on education; a far cry from the allotted 6% in the budget.

The number of child laborers in the country increased from 1 crore plus, in 1981 to 11 crore plus in 1987. There was a decrease in health budget from 3.3% in 19522-57 to 0.9% in 1992-97 despite over 50% of pregnant woman being anemic and so on. Some problems were more acute in a particular area such as child labor in Rajasthan or drug abuse in metros like Mumbai and Delhi.

Another major cause of concern amongst the children was the fact that parents do not get the births of their children registered. Children appreciated that parents may be unaware regarding Birth Registration or may lack the time or money to get it done. However they felt that it was crucial to get every birth registered and committed themselves to promoting Birth Registration in their respective areas. They also what participation means and how they could be active participants in their society. They felt that an open and accepting atmosphere needed to be created by elders whereby children could freely and openly be active participants in decision making in schools, in homes, in community schemes etc. In the end the participants detailed their future action plan and the efforts they would make to bring about a change in the society.

It was indeed amazing to realize that many of these children are more aware and socially responsible towards their families and societies than many adults. If only we can find it in ourselves to truly accept their participation, we can be assured of a better world and a secure future.

Workshop on Children's Rights and the Importance of their Participation

Date: 21st May 2001 to 23rd May 2001
Venue: Convention Center, Hamdard University
Convenor: Bal Panchayat, Delhi
Organizer: Casp Plan, Delhi
Participants: Casp Delhi; Urmul, Rajasthan, Samarth, Delhi; Bal Panchayat, Mathura; Ferozabad, Casp-Plan - Bombay and Bhopal.

Aim: To hold a national level discussion on child rights, child-related problems, government policies on child rights and children participation.

On 21st May, 2001, over eighty children from all over India congregated at the Convention Center of Hamdard University, in New Delhi. Arriving from areas as far flung as Rajasthan, Bhopal, Mathura and Ferozabad, these children had gathered to attend a 'National Workshop on Children's Rights and the Importance of Their Participation.' Organized by Casp Plan, Delhi, and convened by the Bal Panchayat members of Casp Plan Delhi's Bal Panchayat program, the aim of the workshop was to,

Ø Give birth to a national platform for children
Ø Urge the government to implement the policies laid down in the Convention on Child Rights
Ø Encourage children's participation at a national level
Ø Discuss problems faced by children in different parts of the country and initiate a process of voicing children concerns at national level
Ø Make children aware of their rights

Dr. Gokhale, the founder of Casp, inaugurated the workshop. In his opening address Dr. Gokhale reiterated the need of education to make child rights a reality. He urged children and parents to ensure clean surroundings and good health for children and for the society. He said it was imperative that children attending Bal Panchayat not get lost in mere words but should take concrete steps to actualize their dreams and understand their duties along with their rights.

The first day of the workshop focused on child rights, local education systems and health status of children in India. Children defined what they felt were some important rights that they should be given, such as,

Right to education
Right to survival
Right to security
Right to participation
Right to parents love and affection
Right to health
Right to play
Right to progress etc.

Children expressed concern over the fact that though our country is making a lot of progress, the plight of children shows no signs of improving. They revealed how school authorities do not distribute the material supplied for children by the government and how they are harassed when they go to get their results. They discussed other problems being faced by them including problems specific to their region and identified some key problems like,

Increasing population (Mumbai)
Child labor
Quality of education
Corruption in teachers and school authorities
Pollution
Problems faced by homeless children,
Malnutrition
Discrimination between girls and boys
Ill effects of television
Loneliness faced by children due to both parents working
Unemployment
Superstition (Bhopal)
Child abuse
Sanitation
Drug and alcohol abuse
Water problems (Bhopal)
Lack of schools
Denial of education to all children of the family (Rajasthan)
Lack of access to government schemes
Caste discrimination (Rajasthan)
Child marriage (Rajasthan)
Lack of adequate playgrounds in schools and in communities
Lack of child participation

Thereon children discussed the importance of education in their progress and detailed the problems they were facing. They described the education systems being followed in their respective areas and discussed the role of children, teachers and government in education. They presented facts and data to support their statements that government was being careless in its attitude towards education. They pointed out that the education budget was pegged at 6% of total budget. However, only 3.3% was spent. Similarly, in 1990, budget for primary education was pegged at 1.69% but only 1.47% was spent. Some suggestions that children had to make in regards to improving education were,

Ø Government should provide uniforms, bags and books to children
Ø Material should be provided as per the number of children and each child should receive his individual kit
Ø The government should increase education budget and it should be effectively utilised
Ø Primary education should be improved
Ø Schools should focus on sending on improving the quality of education instead of indulging in wasteful expenditure.
Ø Teachers should take more interest in teaching so that children are not forced to resort to guides.
Children also pointed out the role that they need to play in ensuring good levels of education for all. They defined their responsibility in terms of being punctual, attentive, responsive and behaving in an appropriate manner towards teachers. They expressed concern and anger over teachers who force children to take tuition, beat children or do not pay attention to their classes. They also discussed the role parents need to play in education.

Regarding health issues, children expressed the view that health of children be given attention since the health of the future nation is dependent on them. They pointed out many problems like government hospitals being too far away-at least 50 km at the minimum and charging excessive amounts for the services; careless attitude towards patients in government hospitals; Rising rate of infant mortality due to lack of awareness, quacks opening up clinics and playing with unsuspecting patients lives, low awareness level on health related issues amongst children, inadequate vaccination levels, low HB, lack of proper sanitation facilities etc. In 1952-57 the government's health budget was 3.3% of the total budget. However in 1992-97 it was reduced to 0.9%. The children suggested that,

Government should provide health aid
Every village and region should have hospitals
Public toilets should be developed and maintained
Everyone should be aware about health related issues
Children were categorical about the role government agencies and NGOs need to play in bringing about the required change.

On second day of the workshop, children focussed on the issue of birth registration. Children from Ferozabad expressed the view that children are not given adequate facilities due to unregistered births. They felt there was little progress in children's development. They reiterated that government needs to have actual and realistic figures pertaining to children so that when development programs are designed, all children can benefit from them. They held both the society and the government responsible for lack of birth registration.

Children from Rajasthan revealed how none of the participating children's birth had been registered. They disclosed that schools gave admission to children without asking for the birth registration certificate. As such very few births were registered in their locality. Some of he major reasons children felt parents did not get birth registered included,

Ø Lack of awareness regarding the importance of birth registration;
Ø Parents see no advantage in getting registration done and instead give more importance to celebrating the birth of the child.
Ø Often, the registration officials discourage parents by asking for bribes or behaving rudely with people.

Children offered some suggestions as to how birth registration could be promoted. They opined that doctors and nurses should be involved in educating the illiterate about birth registration; adequate publicity should be given to the issue via different media such as TV, radio, newspapers, puppet shows etc.; NGOs should be involved in making people aware of the benefits of birth registration and NGOs and local panchayats should be authorized to register births; IEC material should be prominently displayed at public place such as railway stations, bus stands, hospitals, ration shops etc.; officials should be urged to attend to the public politely; a chapter on birth registration should be added to the school curricula of children; birth registration campaign should be combined with the polio eradication campaign; and members of Bal Panchayat should routinely motivate community members towards this end.

On the issue of problems being faced by girl child, children presented factual information related to girl abuse, child marriage etc. and discussed how girls are exploited and discriminated against. Attention is not given to their studies, they are made to do more work as compared to boys and are married off at an early age due to dowry system. Children largely blamed our social structure which considers girls inferior for the sad plight of girls. Children from Rajasthan revealed how the condition of girls was particularly bad in Rajasthan. There the girls were discriminated against in every aspect of life be it education, food, clothes, etc. Child marriage was the norm. They also detailed the Balika Shivirs being run in some parts of their state. In the shivirs girls are given education till eighth standard. Married as well as unmarried girls come to the Shivir.

In Ferozabad, girls are forced to start earning at the early age of five to six years. They were mostly employed in the trade of bangle making and the problem is mainly rampant in labor class families. In Mumbai, children revealed the situation of girls was quite good with the government having initiated many schemes for girls such as free primary education, bus pass, special ladies trains etc.

After presenting the status of girl child, children participated in open space wherein they presented a short cultural show. The show included, a film produced by the children on children of Gharwal, a folk dance by Mumbai children, an event by children from Samarth, a folk song by children from Rajasthan and a song by children of Bhopal. These were followed by more songs and jokes by different children.

The children then discussed child labor. They defined child labor as a state when a child works outside his home environs for monetary benefits. According to Balai Data Bank, there were 1 crore child laborers in India in 1981. In recent times the number has increased to 11 crore and 36 lac out of which 45% are girls and 54% are boys. The children are largely employed in trades like matchsticks making, stone crushing, mines, fisheries, handicrafts industries, lock industry etc. Working amidst unhealthy conditions these children are prone to diseases like asthma, tuberculosis, deformities, weakened eyes etc. Children discussed how economic conditions, increasing population, lack of awareness, and orphaned children were part and parcel of the child labor problem. They suggested measures to check the growing incidence of child labor by spreading awareness, bettering working conditions, implementation of child labor laws etc.

The children subsequently held a discussion on children participation. They defined child participation and discussed the hindrances in the way of making child participation a reality. According to children it is important that adults develop an open mind to child participation and children too should ensure that they are involved in creative fruitful pursuits that respect their elders and society. Manish from Bal Panchayat revealed how he had organized a team and was successfully running a library for the community members. Children from Rajasthan disclosed that in their region children were taught as per their interest thereby giving them greater participation and control on their future.

At the end of the day, children were shown a film on children.

The third day of the workshop saw mainly open discussions by children and experience sharing. Children from the different regions shared their experiences and detailed how they were planning to bring about changes in their respective areas. They expressed a desire to focus on issues of health and education awareness, prevention of child labor, birth registration, child rights awareness, equal status to girl child, reduce peer pressure to try drugs or other forms of addiction, child marriage etc. They also affirmed their decision to form a national level platform whereby they could address children issues. After charting the agenda for next workshop to be held at Ferozabad, children ended the workshop on a high and positive note determined to make child rights and child participation a reality.

Organised by
CASP Plan(New Delhi)
and conducted by
BAL PANCHAYAT(New Delhi)

The Context
The Right to Childhood is recognized globally as a sacred and unalienable right. The child is celebrated as a symbol of the spontaneity, beauty and innocence. Indian's also regard the child as a 'avatara' of the 'creator'. The most reliable pointer to the character and culture of a society is the way it treats its children.
Throughout the 21st century, a burgeoning field of experts and grassroots children's advocates mounted a movement to recognize children's special needs as inalienable rights under law. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the World Summit for Children, the World Summit for Social Development have all contributed to setting goals cutting poverty in half, reducing mortality by two-thirds among children under five years of age and ensuring universal access to primary education by the year 2015. Perhaps, the most significant outcome of the Convention & the World Summit was the remarkable level of interest and participation on the part of children and adolescents. In some countries the children have addressed parliaments and in others the children themselves have formed their own children's parliament, children's council based on similar structures.

The Bal Panchayat or Children's Council was initiated in Delhi in 1996 by PLAN and CASP. Its aim was to bring together children from the ages of 10-15 living in the slums of Delhi to talk about their lives, issues affecting them and their aspirations for the future.
Since then the Bal Panchayat members set their own agenda, debated on issues relevant to their lives. The Bal Panchayat members are learning that they can influence change in the communities which will have a greater impact on their lives. The Bal Panchayats have started playing a major role in sensitizing other children and concerns. There have been systematic efforts to strengthen the Bal Panchayats not only in Delhi but also to initiate the process in the other States of India. Efforts were also made to get the Children's Councils, groups Bal Panchayats onto a common platform whereby they could not only share their views with each other on issues relating to them but such forums could be used for sharing their problems, working on a Plan Of Action whereby they could make a strategy to address issues/problems pertinent to their village/district/State. To ensure that Children's Collective can be an effective tool for advocating Child Rights.
It was with this background that CASP Plan initiated the process of inviting such children's collectives onto a common platform and called the First National Workshop on Children's Rights and the Importance of their Participation in May 2001 at New Delhi. The aim of the workshop was to hold discussions on Child Rights, Child -related Problems, Government Policies on Child Rights and Children's Participation. The children expressed their desire to focus on issues of health and education awareness, prevention of child labour, birth registration prevention of child marriage . They also affirmed their decision to form a national level platform whereby they could address children's issue.

Deliberations of the Second National Workshop on Child Rights
Seven months later a much aware and vocal, 80 children representing children's collectives from 15 organisations, from different States of India gathered for the Second National Workshop on Child Rights held from January 7-9, 2002 at Jamia Hamdard Convention Centre, New Delhi. CASP Plan and the Bal Panchayats New Delhi organized the workshop. The aim of the workshop was to strengthen the Children's Collective as an effective tool for advocating Child Rights. In order to make the workshop more informative and interactive, resource persons (due to paucity of funds were invited from New Delhi) were invited for the morning sessions, during which they made their presentations and invited questions from the children and during the post lunch session, the children were divided into groups to discuss and share their views on the morning presentations.

Dr. S D Gokhale, founder CASP, inaugurated the three day workshop. During his opening remarks Dr. Gokhale underscored the need and importance of a good education, which will not only enable children to enjoy their childhood but also enable them to be responsible citizens. He further stated that it was necessary to learn science as it played an important role in our daily lives. During the inaugural session Mr. Girish Menon, Director, Plan International India Chapter emphasized that if the children think and work towards bringing a change they can do it. It is forums like these that provide the children with opportunities to come together and work towards a common goal. Such opportunities should also be provided to children in other parts of the country so that the children of this nation are able to raise their voice in unison and help in the progress of the nation thereby improving the future of its children. Mr. Martin Kelsey, Country Director, Save the Children (UK) India office, spoke of commitments made while adopting the Convention on the Rights of the Child and those undertaken during the World Summit for Children. The review done by the UN General Assembly's Special Session on Children revisited the goals and the governments have rededicated themselves to keeping up the momentum to achieve these goals. He further stated that the children have taken a lead and are now able to present their views and have made it imperative for the adults to listen to them. India is one country where the children's voices are heard more than in the other countries and it is the children of India who should take the lead on being the catalysts in bringing about this change. Ten years ago the children were invisible in such forums but today things have changed and now the children are playing a pivotal role in helping with the review and being an active part of this change.

The highlight of the inaugural session and which made the children sit up in their seats was when Ms Madhavi Samson, Program Manager, CASP-Delhi Unit shared with the audience the news that 15 year old Kanchan a resident of the Alaknanda basti has been invited to participate in the UN Special Assembly to be held at Washington in May 2002. Amidst cheers, the children could see their dream becoming a reality - their representative was going to present the children's perspective at this UN Conference.
Highlights of Presentations made by Panelists
The deliberations for the first day were devoted to a discussion on Child Rights in India. The panel of speakers stressed on the following issues:

Dr. Kiran Bedi, Chairperson Navjyoti, highlighted that rights and duties are the two sides of the same coin, while talking of ones rights one should not forget ones duties. She emphasized that it is very difficult for adults to change but it is easier for the children to bring about changes in themselves and thereby make changes in their environment. To bring the point home to the children she introduced the audience to children from the Navjoyti Home, who have worked hard to be part of the mainstream by giving up their delinquent past. She underscored the fact that the children from the mainstream played a major role in the rehabilitation of such children by accepting their past and presenting them with an opportunity to be part of their present. Suresh Nanda, PREPARE also reiterated the fact that sometimes due to lack of information the children are unable to advocate on issues but once they have the right information they are able to work on their problems and also able to find solutions to them. The responsibility of making Child Rights a reality is not only of the government, the NGO, but also the responsibility of each one in their capacity of a citizen, parent, adult and child. While summing up the presentations Mr. Martin Kelsey stated that the governments have to work on how to make changes in the laws so that the children can be given their rights. We must continue arguing for, negotiating for and creating the best for children.

On the second day the deliberations were divided into two sessions, for the first session the panelists were invited to speak on the Accessibility of Education in India. Dr. Usha Ram, Principal, Laxman Public School stated that for making education accessible to all children there has to be a strong will. Every child has a right to education and the parents, the community and the institution are responsible for ensuring the same. Dr. Usha Ram highlighted the work done by their school for providing education to the children of the weaker sections of the society and also for the adults. She further highlighted that their school has been able to make inroads in this area only because of their determination to do something for the society and also due to the collaborations with NGO like CASP and also the State Resource Centres. Mrs Jaya Srivastava, Director, Ankur Vaikalpik Shiksha soon had the children singing a song on 'Education - A right of the Children'. She highlighted the importance of education as a tool for empowerment of children and women alike. She further stated the importance of knowing the difference between literacy and education. She spoke about the 93rd amendment to the constitution for making education a fundamental right and discussed the lacunae of the amendment. Statistics on the drop-out rate, low budget allocation (3.8% of the GDP), expenditure incurred by the government per child in the government run school (Rs. 948/- ) were also shared with the audience. In response to a question posed by a child on whether it is the responsibility of the Government or the parents or the community to provide education to the children, she stated that this responsibility lay with the government. Education is the most important need for the development of the individual.
During the second session the panelists were asked to address the children on the issue of 'Child Labour in India'. Mr. Vinod Saini, South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude, shared information about the various industries (Lock Industry in Aligarh, Glass Industry in Firozabad, Brassware Manufacturers in Moradabad, and the Carpet Industry in Eastern UP and Rajasthan) where child labour is employed. He further stressed on the role of the Bal Panchayats in highlighting cases of Child Labour in their neighbourhood. He said that the Bal Panchayats can be an effective tool in bringing such employers to task and help raising awareness about the implications of Child Labour not only on the child but also the employer. Mr. R K Khurana, IPEC, stressed that the main reason for the increase in child labour was poverty. Some parents want their children to work as it adds to the income of the family but this is only a short-term benefit. He further shared with the audience the role of the ILO and IPEC in eliminating child labour and the strategies and programmes undertaken by them in India to reach their goal. Mr. Amod K Kanth, General Secretary, PRAYAS, talked about the various rights of the child and the responsibility of the adults to provide the children their rights. He further threw light on the Juvenile Justice Act and highlighted some of its provisions. He also spoke about the National Commission for Children, which the government of India is planning, to set-up. Mr. R. Singh, Mr. George and Mr. Aditya of the Police Training College spoke in detail about the Juvenile Justice Act 2000 and the role of the police in implementing this Act.

On the last day deliberations were focused on the Role of Media in Promoting Child Rights. Ms C Jayanthi, Editor, Education Times, highlighted how the Media has over the past several years been consciously highlighting issues relating to Child Rights. She felt that the media had played a positive role and will continue doing so, in highlighting issues relating to Child Rights. -Ms. Neetha, a freelance journalist underscored her point by stating that both the print media and the electronic media play a major role in promoting issues related to the rights of the child by raising the awareness of the masses by highlighting the issues through special programmes. Till now not much has been done and the media being a powerful tool much more can be done.

Highlights of the Discussions held by the children
Each group of Children Collectives was given a topic for discussion during the post lunch session. The theme for discussion on the first day was 'What is participation', under this theme they were to discuss the following:

Participation of children in the Family and Community
Participation of children in Institutions and Schools
Participation of children in government programmes and programmes organized by local governing bodies
Participation of children in Media
On the second day the children were again divided into four groups and discussed the
following issues:

Birth Registration
Health Status of Children In India
Status of Education in India
Increasing depression amongst Children

Through group discussions, role-play, drawings and write-ups the children discussed and highlighted problems faced by them and also came up with possible solutions. Excerpts of this are:
Participation of the children in the Family and Community
It is important for the children in the age group 3-6 years to attend school without any discrimination of the sex. The children discussed the importance of parents interacting with the children, talking to them, discussing family problems with them. The family and the community play an important role in shaping the development of the child and should be there to support and guide the child in time of difficulty. Special care should also be taken to bring the not so abled children into the mainstream by providing facilities for them.
Participation of the children in Institutions and Schools
The children felt that it was important that their advice be sought while making programmes and policies for them and this could be done through regular interactive sessions and also meetings. In schools there should be meetings between the children and the teachers. The children should be a part of the Parents Teachers Associations. The children can play an active role in maintaining discipline and cleanliness in the school. They could also play a role in framing the rules of the school and also the next years school plan of action.
Participation of the children in government programmes and programmes organized by local governing bodies
The group was unable to share many of their views on this, as the theme was not too clear to them.

Participation of the children in Media
The children advocated that both the print and the electronic media play an important role in spreading awareness about the child rights. This can be done by highlighting issues related to the children, and also by making special issue based programmes.
Birth Registration

The children collectives who had already worked on this earlier presented to the others the importance and the process of Birth registration. They also highlighted the reluctance of the people in registering births and deaths. The children shared their experiences on how awareness on this could be spread by undertaking rallies, staging plays and monitoring through Primary Health care Centres and also through NGO clinics.
Health Status of Children In India

The children discussed the importance of immunization. They believed that due to superstitious beliefs parents did not get their children immunized resulting in the child becoming ill which many a times has been fatal. There is a need to make people more aware about immunization and this can be done if people are more educated.
Status of Education in India

Stating the reality the children were facing they highlighted some of the problems being faced by most of them. The lack of classrooms, laboratories, libraries, toilets, chairs, tables have made schooling very difficult. The children also shared notes on the 93rd amendment and the status of schools in Delhi. They felt that the situation can be improved if the government takes the responsibility for providing quality and accessible education to all without discrimination of class and sex.
Increasing depression amongst Children

The environment the children are forced to grow up in, poor quality education, tension at home between the father and the mother, wife beating, alcoholism, dropping out of school for taking care of the siblings has increased cases of depression in children, which leads to them either committing suicide, running away from home or taking to drugs. All this can be dealt with if the parents, teachers and the peer group are more sensitive to each other , are understanding and have an empathetic attitude towards the children.
Highlights of the discussions held by the Adults

While the children collectives were divided into groups the adults (Programme representatives) who had chaperoned the children also held a meeting. Some of the highlights were:
Each NGO will develop linkages on child based events and activities and will establish a strong network with other child based organization and institution.
CASP PLAN and the Bal Panchayats of Delhi will provide all the technical support to organizations desirious of setting up Bal panchayats in their areas or in strengthening the existing ones.
The Third National Workshop will be held after 6 months and the venue will be decided after the four organizations namely; Samaskar-Plan, ASM-Plan, Prem-Plan and Disha discuss with their heads of the organization. The group decided that CASP Plan will organise the fourth workshop and MYRADA-Plan, HD-Kote will organize the fifth workshop.
The group further discussed the need to form a Child Friendly Panel. This panel consists of celebrities, public figures, activists, Social scientists, people from Media, Government officials, lawyers etc who will support children forums to address their issues. The onus of setting up the panel for the South lay with MYRADA Plan, for the North with CASP Plan, New Delhi, Central Zone with CASP Plan Bombay, Eastern Zone with PREM Plan and the Lucknow zone with SBMA Plan.
Recommendations and Future Plan Of Action
On the third day of the workshop the children discussed future strategies and drew up a Plan for Action for the next three years. The children collectives decided that they would work on the following issues:

Eradication of Child Labour
Conduct rallies, puppet shows to stop child labour
Network with other NGO, Government agencies for the eradication of Child Labour
Raise the awareness of parents and the children on the implications of child labour
Learning material, in popular form, should be prepared for the children and the parents. Films highlighting the issue can also be used as an effective tool for creating awareness.
Support in the form of financial aid and in kind (books , stationary etc) can also be collected and given to children who are working as child labourers and are unable to find resources for their education.

Education
To undertake advocacy on "Education for All"
Counsel parents to send children to school especially the girl child
Act as a pressure group to ensure that quality education is imparted in schools.
Formation of Bal Panchayats and strengthening themf