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State level consultation on CHILD RIGHTS Kerala SCPCR , 31AUG13. Dr PM Nair Chair Professor, TISS nairpm@hotmail.com. Child protection =. Protecting children from or against any perceived or real danger or risk or harmful situations to life, personhood and childhood
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State level consultation onCHILD RIGHTSKerala SCPCR, 31AUG13 Dr PM Nair Chair Professor, TISS nairpm@hotmail.com
Child protection = • Protecting children from or against any perceived or real danger or risk or harmful situations to • life, personhood and childhood • Reducing vulnerability to any harm • Ensuring that no child falls out of the social security net and safety net • If they do, they must receive care protection and support to bring them back to safety • Special care to children in difficult situations • Right to protection integrally linked to other rights
Mandates/institutions, systems /programmes… • Constitution of India • Child related UN Conventions/ Protocols • National legislations • State specific legislations • National Policy for Children 1974 • National Charter for Children 2003 • National Plan of Action for Children 2005 • National programmes/schemes like NCLP/ICPS • NCPCR/ SCPCR • CWC/JJB/SJPU etc
Gaps in services: MWCD analysis • Lack of prevention • Poor planning and coordination • Services are negligible relative to needs • Poor infrastructure • Inadequate human resources • Serious service gaps • Weak accountability, monitoring & evaluation
ISSUES OF CONCERN • Ensuring rights of child • Living with dignity • Development and progress • Equality and equanimity • Child’s perspective ? • Minimum standards ? • Who decides for the child?
Ground reality • Whose child? • Priority in response • Easy target for exploitation • Exposure to drugs, liquor, smoke , porno etc • Technology in action/ Internet free access • Exposure to violence • Physical, sexual, emotional • Facilities vs Expectations vs Delivery
Child labourand children of labourers:Does it concern us?Children of a lesser God?
Response to rights violations… yawning gap • Knownvs Unknown • Reportedvs unreported • Acted upon vs Not acted upon • Satisfactory vs not satisfactory • Redressal done vs not done • Justice expedited vs justice delayed • Victimization prevented vs victimized • Further exploitation preventedvs not so
Systems in place • Plenty • Structural • Functional • Legal • Operational • Developmental • Promotional • And so on …
National Policy on Children, 2013 Key Priorities • Survival, • health, • nutrition, • development, • education, • protection and • participation are the undeniable rights of every child and the key priorities of this Policy.
A case study of missing children • Existing response systems • Who are the untraced ones • Where are they • Data is revealing • Case studies in the NHRC Research
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BBA Research 2011 • Data sought from 640 Dists under RTI • Data received from 392 Dists. • 117480 children missing in 2 years (2008 + 2009) • 41546 remain untraced • On an average almost one lakhchildren go missing every year with 33000 remaining untraced. NHRC Advisory Delhi High Court Orders MHA Advisory and.......
National Tracking System for“Missing & Vulnerable Children” developed and maintained by National Informatics Centre
A constitutional mandateto all of us inanti-human trafficking
Article 23 of our Constitution prohibits trafficking for any exploitation… Constitutional mandate Constitutional right against HT Violation is deprivation of FR Prevention is FD Accountability of all of us… 24
points to ponder “Exploitation of children is a harbinger to criminalization of future generations. And it happens around us because we allow it”
points to ponder “There is no mild version of exploitation”
mantra for all of us “Moving from a culture of silence to Zero tolerance”
Acting on burning issues • State Special legislation • Goa Children’s Act 2003 • State Plan of Action • Bihar, AP, etc • State Advisory Committee • Child friendly tourism • Special care for children of migrant labourers • Facilitating NGOs to function • Single Window System?
Acting on burning issues • Research on topical issues • Can make a difference: e.g., NHRC research on trafficking • Vulnerability mapping • Independent/objective/broad-based/inclusive • Target oriented approach to address the issues • e.g. Bicycles for girls in Jh = school admission went up + dropouts came down • Parental training and orientation helped reduce expltn
SCPCR can make a difference • Ensuring appropriate/timely response • Minimum Standards of response by all agencies on all aspects affecting children • Accountability measures, incl rewards etc • Advisories on issues of concern • Capacity building of stake holders • Stake holder to Duty holder • Listening to the voice of children • Children’s parliament, Children’s Courts, etc • Child’s silence speaks… we need to listen…
thanks for your attentionDr PM NairChair Professor, TISSnairpm@hotmail.com0-9910621515