Mangaluru: “Don’t enforce your thoughts upon your children and decide their future according to your will and wish, but allow them to become what they really want to become,” suggested former chairperson of Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) Dr. Kripa Amar Alva here on Tuesday, September 25.
She was addressing the gathering after inaugurating a two-day national seminar on “Ensuring child rights in India: A challenge” organised by the post-graduation Department of Social Work in St. Aloysius College, in collaboration with the Karnataka Association of Professional Social Workers (KAPSW) at Eric Mathias Hall. She said, “Nowadays, children become a commodity as parents enforce their thoughts upon them. Ensuring child rights in India will not be a challenge if there are enlightened parents or public in our society”, she said.
Throwing light on the rights of children Kripa said, “The first right of a child is the right to live. But, unfortunately, female infanticide takes place in our country. Due to this, there is a wide gap in the male and female ratio. The census has revealed that there are only 898 females for 1000 males. Despite strict legal measures, female infanticide takes place in our country. India will not be a progressive country in the global scenario unless and until we curb down the practice of female infanticide,” she said.
“Right to development is the another most important right of the child, which will be ensured only by the proper education. Education should be the basic necessity of every child. Though rich people get enough nutritious food, thousands of children, who are from the poor financial background are deprived of nutritious food,” Kripa lamented.
Shedding light upon lack of protection to women Kripa said, “If a girl being molested allegedly by her provoking dress, what is the reason behind sexual abuse upon the children who are even below the age group of five? There are several instances where a little girl sexually abused by her own father or uncle or by anyone from her relatives. If a girl sexually abused during her young age, it will remain as a black dot for the rest of her life. Despite there is Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the sexual assault upon children did not subside,” she said and added that if people would understand and find the necessity of safeguarding the rights of children, ensuring child rights will become an easy task.
Executive Director of Child Rights Trust, Bengaluru N V Vasudeva Sharma being a chief guest at the programme said, “Among the total population of children, around 70 per cent children are from rural areas, who don’t know their rights. There is a need to reach them to ensure their rights,” he said.
Presiding over the programme Rev. Fr. Dionysius Vas said, “Children should not be caged but they should be allowed to fly. Along with liberation, they need to be protected. Conducting seminars is an effort to shed light on the challenges in ensuring the child rights and find a solution for the same,” he said.
There will be various sessions on various topics related to child rights wherein the resource persons will deliver talks in the next two days. The valedictory of the programme will be held on Wednesday, September 26. St. Aloysius College Principal Rev. Dr. Praveen Martis, Social Work PG Department HoD Shwetha Rasquinha, programme convener Prithvi M among others were present.
