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Condition of children at Railway Station and slum areas & their future in orissa

Children are the building blocks of our future generation. You might have seen that a large number of children of different categories are moving hither and thither at railway station platforms and other slum areas to earn some thing for their family which constitute one of the most marginalized groups of children in Difficult Circumstances. Largely runaway children they are subjected to physical and sexual abuse and vulnerable to hunger, health problems, harassment, eviction from platforms and slum areas, abuse etc. Now it is the time to assess their conditions of living, education and other various important aspects. The various aspects like reasons behind children leaving homes, living conditions at the platform, source points, areas for intervention and the juvenile systems.  They are deprived from their health needs, recreational activities, and other developmental opportunities. Though there are different Support groups like NGOs are established under Society Registration Act, 1860 to look after the development avenues, but the result is not satisfactory as on date. However to provide  children with educational skills, some Non Formal Education (NFE) centers have been established in different areas and the number of such centers should be increased, Life skills workshops and contact point workshops are to organized to counsel children and discuss pertinent issues like drugs, health, child rights and education. It’s pleasure indeed to discuss more about the establishments of child-centred non-profit development organizations with unbiased commitment towards the improvement of the conditions of children living in difficult circumstances. The organization’s vision should be reflected in the society in such a manner where  children’s rights are to be respected, their dignity and possibilities created for giving them real chances to develop their full potentials.

Government of India or provincial government should prepare different projects in the different states like BAL Ashram projects which seek to address the problem of child labor at its source i.e. at the village level where children are initiated into child Labour. We should   develop child friendly villages that respect the rights and dignity of children and should cover all villages of different rural areas friendly and also rehabilitates, educates and trains children and youth in self sufficiency and leadership to enable them to avoid the cyclic trap of poverty and child labor.  All the children should be provided shelter, trauma counseling and other development opportunities like education, recreational activities, with confidence building measures and so on. Children are involved in non formal education and where possible enrolled in mainstream schools. They should be provided vocational training to make them self sufficient. Rehabilitation and repatriation (where possible) are to be the goals to which the project aspires. Caste based commercial sex work continues to be a sad reality of the Indian social system. Traditional tribes and communities like the Nuts, Kanjars and Bedias in Rajasthan continue to practice child trafficking and prostitution. Shunned by the mainstream society due to their low caste status, they get trapped in a vicious circle of poverty, ignorance and non acceptance. Child care centers should be set up in all such villages and mother groups The mother groups are aimed at sensitizing mothers to children’s needs and rights and involving them in protecting children from prostitution. Meetings of mother groups are held where issues of nutrition, child care practices, role of children in welfare etc. are discussed in detail. Various health fairs, health camps and supplementary nutrition demonstration camps are to be  organized in the villages to raise awareness of health issues and diet. The Government should prepare the different  projects for the development of children in such a way which should  sustain school going children by providing inputs to initiate the learning process and imbibe the habit of learning amongst the children. The project will impart functional literacy to the children who are unable to attend regular school through non-formal education classes at a place and time convenient for them.  To encourage children to attend classes, multiple meetings are to be arranged in different locations of rural, slum and railway station areas with parents and children and rigorous follow up visits are to be undertaken to asses the output. Educational visits attract children and sustain their interest. Efforts are also to be made to sensitize the parents of such communities to restrain children from selling lemon/chilies or begging.

Introduction of HIV/AIDS Awareness Package

Despite the gravity of the situation, awareness about HIV/AIDS and its spread remain dismally low. People continue to live under myths and misconceptions having different thoughts concerning the disease and other issues which have resulted in huge amounts of stigma and discrimination being associated with it. The HIV/AIDS Awareness Package program will be the direct outcome of these issues. This type of project shall seek to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, by changing its status from that of killer disease to a manageable chronic illness. It does so by providing the right information on HIV/AIDS and associated issues to the community members through introduction of the HIV/AIDS Awareness Package Under such types of projects, workshops for children are to be organized across the country to decide the concept, storyline and contents of the package. It is the sole and whole responsibilities of the either central or provincial governments to introduce  specific kits to  distribute the same to grassroots, state, national and international level NGOs, Civil Society Organizations, Government Organizations and Institutes focusing especially on HIV/AIDS issues.

Young people in India are at high risk of HIV infection. The vulnerability is owing to taboo around sexual health issues, experimentation and contradictory value system. The project should enable and empower the children of such different communities to make informed choices leading to responsible sexual behavior and contributing to the prevention, care and support of HIV/AIDS.

The members of the group are to be trained regarding HIV/AIDS and encouraged to spread the information to other children. The community health workers and staff members are to be trained in project management and technical issues. They should undertake home visits and community visits to involve children and induct them into the project.

Compulsory birth registration

Though India is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child, that recognizes birth registration as the first right of the child, only 58% of births are registered. Only 19% of children fewer than five years of age possess a birth certificate. 10 million children go unregistered every year. 2 out of every 5 children remain unrecognized and therefore do not exist for government planning purposes Only 1 of every 5 children under the age of 5 years possesses a birth certificate. To achieve the goal of children below age of 14 are protected from any kind of age related discrimination, exploitation, abuse and denial of rights of survival, development and participation caused due to lack of registration we have to initiate campaigns to inform, educate and communicate importance of birth registration in collaboration with Office of Registrar General of India. It is seen that during the time of entry into the primary education the parents are generally try to reduce the age of their children because of restriction in age limit for entering into government jobs. Such type of wrong practices should be avoided.

Constitution of Board

Government of India should promote child rights by ensuring participation of children in different development programs. The program develops “child ambassadors” and equips them with enhanced understanding of living realities of children in different circumstances; especially difficult circumstances. It enables children to meaningfully contribute to development programs and promotion of child rights by;

Developing their leadership skills

Providing value based, developmental education

Generating better understanding and sensitivity towards social issues

Linking children to a national network working to promote child rights

Based on children’s decisions, action has to be initiated to support them in executing their activities. A panel of experts is to be selected by government and NGOs to guide children in various activities and strengthen their knowledge of children’s issues.