Manipur Alliance for Child Rights: April 2010

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Child trafficking issue discussed

Child trafficking issue discussed
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 21 2010: Members of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) today met the officials concerned of the State Government to discuss issue related to child trafficking in Manipur and suggested co-ordination among various Departments in combating the issue as a long term plan.

NCPCR team has arrived here following a directive of the Supreme Court and the team would be submitting a report to the apex court.

The members of the National Commission for Protection of Child led by its Registrar BK Sahu held a joint meeting with Chief Secretary DS Poonia, DGP Y Joykumar, IG Intelligence LM Khoute, Commissioner of Social Welfare Letkhogin Haokip and Director of Social Welfare Seityabati as the conference hall of the Old Secretary and discussed the issue of child trafficking in Manipur.

During the meeting, the Chief Secretary presented a detailed account of the measures being taken up by the State Government to prevent child trafficking and informed that an emergency response team would be deployed in the Home Department in addition to alerting the police.

The Chief Secretary also apprised the visiting team that along with earmarking necessary fund in the budget, Social Welfare Department would conduct awareness campaign on child trafficking in remote areas of the State.

From the side of the Commission, it was suggested that Social Welfare alone would not be able to combat the issue and besides the need for co-ordination among the Depts like the Police, Law, TD & Hills, constant communication should be facilitated between the State Government, which is the source of the trafficking and Tamil Nadu Government, which has become the destination.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Girl education stressed in workshop on children

The Imphal Free Press

IMPHAL, April 17: A one day consultation on the Rights of Children to Free and Compulsory Education which was organized in coalition on Children`s Right to Protection (CCRP), Manipur was held yesterday at the conference Hall, Manipur Human Rights Commission.

S.Sharju Devi, Covenor, CCRP in her keynote address said that in Manipur, the right to compulsory education belongs to a marginalized section of the society and has been denied for the last many years. She also said that the government run schools are easily identified by the absence of the students, teachers, playgrounds and basic school amenities such as the toilet. As a result, there are thousands of children in the state who are out of school simply because, they cannot afford the exorbitant amount of school fees in the private schools around. Left with no options, these children are easy targets of child, labour and drug traffickers and even militants. Some depressed children turn to drugs and violence when left with no choice. She further questions as to how many students can the Model Schools cover in a district.

One of the resource person, N.Pramod Singh, Lecturer at the LMS Law College highlighted on the Acts & Articles passed by the Constitution for the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education. He stressed that Right to Education comes from Right to Life. The Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, has given it. Lawmakers, Parents, Guardians, School Authorities alike should see to it that the right to education should be ensured and that children from every walk of life should benefit from it.

Ch,Sheelamani, Lecturer, D.M College of Arts who was also one of the resource person discussed the prospect and challenges of Girl Child`s education in Manipur. She mentioned that women have also been suppressed since time immemorial. Be it in the population index, their social status, health conditions, women has always been one step behind their male counterparts.

The employment &education rate of women is also very low as compared to men. Empowerment of women for their upliftment is extremely essential to bring about the equality between the two genders.

It is said "educating a girl means educating the family, thus educating the whole nation." Education is the key to development and irrespective of gender, caste and economy, children need to be educated. She also said that for a girl, it is challenging in the male dominated society but that should not stop us from giving the girl child the proper education be it academic or vocational thus enabling the girl to lead a dignified life. We should not treat girls as the handicapped as compared to boys.

Ng.Nongyai. who presided today`s function as Chief Guest said that Children`s Right to Education is somewhat achieved, however, if their Rights to Health and Food is also ensured, it will be for the better. He also said that as our state is a conflict area-we should see to it that our children are imparted education and that the delivery of education meets the quality benchmark as does other children in the rest of the world.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Panel to probe child trafficking

source-The Telegraph

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Imphal, April 16: A two-member team of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights will arrive here tomorrow to investigate child trafficking from Manipur to other parts of the country, particularly to Tamil Nadu.

Following a Supreme Court directive, the registrar of the commission, Binod Kumar Sahu and its consultant Ramnath Nayak, visited Chennai to investigate cases of child trafficking from Manipur and Assam to the southern states.

On March 31, a three-judge bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice Deepak Verma and Justice B.S. Chauhan asked the commission to complete the probe in four weeks and submit a report and posted the matter for hearing in May.

“There was need for some investigation as children belonging to poor families from the northeastern region were lured by some illegal organisations on the pretext of providing better education,” the chief justice had said.

The bench was hearing a petition on trafficking of 76 children from Assam and Manipur.

The children, aged between five and 15, were rescued from Bethesada Blessing Home, run illegally in Chennai, on January 24.

Following the apex court’s directive, the two-member team visited Chennai and on April 11 talked to senior officials to collect information regarding the rescue of the children from Manipur and Assam from the home near Kuzhithurai in Kanyakumari district.

Sources in the social welfare department here said nearly a hundred children from Manipur were taken to Tamil Nadu on the false promise of getting free education, were rescued this year.

In two separate recent incidents, children and teenagers were intercepted at Sekmai in Imphal West while they were travelling in buses on their way to Mumbai and Chennai.

The children rescued and intercepted at Sekmai are from the valley and hill districts, including Churachandpur and Ukhrul. They were handed over to their parents and guardians after counselling.

Official sources said the two-member team would discuss with officials of the social welfare department, child activists and the members of child welfare committees to collect information on the traffickers’ modus operandi.

The team will visit Tamenglong, one of the worst-affected districts in Manipur.

The sources also said the team would examine two recent cases of child trafficking in the state.

A headmistress of a private school, Narmada Rana, was arrested on March 31 on charges of cruelty to juveniles, wrongful confinement, kidnapping and using children as labourers.

The police took her into custody after two minors were rescued from her Imphal house and another girl who had fled the headmistress’s house was also rescued. She is now out on bail.

On April 10, the police picked up a couple who had allegedly sold off a nine-month-old baby to another couple. The couple were released the next day.

The release of the couple angered child rights activists who are preparing a report.

Monday, April 5, 2010

CCRP probes school building collapse

source-http://www.ifp.co.in/shownews.php?newsid=8862

IMPHAL, April 3: The Coalition on Children’s Right to Protection (CCRP) Manipur, a collective body striving for children’s protection rights conducted a fact finding visit today at the Lilong Arapti Leikai to enquire into the incident of collapsing of the G.T Memorial Academy in which a girl student of the school was killed.

Mention may be made, 9 years old Konsam Roshni daughter of Sanathoi of Lilong Arapti, a student of GT Memorial Academy died in the April 1 incident.

The CCRP mourned the untimely demise of the girl child inside the classroom on the same day when the country celebrated the historic enactment of the Children’s Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, which came into effect from April 1,2010.

After the fact finding field visit at the GT Memorial Academy, the CCRP, Manipur observed that the incident of the G.T Memorial Academy, Lilong should not be construed merely a result of Natural Calamity but also a case of lapses and negligence on the part of School Management and as well as the concerned officials of the state education department.

The visible negligence and recklessness on the part of the School Management and founder was that they have been running the school with 580 students since 2003 when the school building is only with bamboo pillars and bamboo mats (Phaklong) wall, roofed by CGI Sheets, thereby putting the precious lives of hundreds at great risk.

The CCRP urged the government to institute an inquiry to find out how did the concerned officials of the Education(s), government of Manipur give recognition to the school bearing registration No.12/13/08-SE (s) last year, despite having such poor quality infrastructures. The erring officials should be booked, it demanded.

The standard of buildings and infrastructures of all schools, both government and private should be physically checked in order to prevent similar tragedy in furture. Recognition of unfit schools should be cancelled and government should stop mushroom growth of private schools in the state, the CCRP demanded.

It also also strongly demands the state government to announce compulsory training of the teachers (both private & government) to train on Disaster Management Skills in order to teach and save the children from man made and natural disasters as Manipur is already an earthquake zone, affected by prolonged armed conflict and now a hit zone of continuous hailstorm.

THE CHILD RIGHTS MANIFESTO

Today, unseen, ignored, almost half of all Indian children under
the age of five are underweight, millions die each year of easily preventable
diseases and 8 million children do not go to school. In the 21st century, in
one of the world's fastest growing economies, this is unacceptable.

CRY - Child Rights and You works to ensure lasting change in the
lives of underprivileged children and you can help - by making your vote
count. Get our leaders to do more for children. Create a vote bank big enough
for them to hear that we, the people. demand child rights - the rights to
education, safety, healthcare, and participation.

Pledge your support and wear the yellow ChildMark proudly on
your finger.

THE CHILD RIGHTS
MANIFESTO
16th General
Elections 2014
CRY - Child Rights and You calls on all political parties to
become campaigner of rights of all children in India.

India, with about 430 million children, has the world’s largest
child population with every sixth child in the world today referring to India
as ‘home’. Although children constitute over a third of India’s population,
they are accorded a low priority in national policy and governance decisions.
CRY urges political parties and governments in power to take heed and ‘Put children first’ and include the following commitment
suggestions that can impact over a third of this nation’s population, when
designing their own election agenda.
• Harmonize the age
definition for all child-related legislations in line with National Policy for
Children 2013 where child is any person below the age of eighteen years.
• Ensure Right to
Education is fully exercised as fundamental right and Amend and expand the
scope of Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 such that: All Children between 6-14 years
get enrolled, regularly attend Elementary
school and avail quality education. Also, all children from 0-6 years and 14-18 years should come under the purview of the Act.
• Strengthen
implementation of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) such that all six services viz
Supplementary nutrition, Health Check-ups, Immunization, Nutrition & Health
Education, Pre-school non-formal education and referral services are
effectively functioning. Also ensure that there is an adequate investment
carried out in decentralized planning, universal coverage and trained
personnel.
• Reduce child mortality
and morbidity and ensure that no child remains malnourished through carrying out sustained efforts
towards complete immunization, regular health check-ups and growth monitoring,
proper nutritional support and health counselling of all children under 18
years.

• Declare access to
quality primary healthcare a Fundamental Right in the Constitution of India and strengthen Primary Health Care
systems and child health amongst the urban poor.
• Ensure Food security at
household level for all marginalized groups of people with proper implementation of the National
Food Security Act, 2013 and consider amendments (i) increasing the
protein/fat intake for pregnant mothers and children to 20-25 gms (according to
Supreme court order) instead of current provision of 18-20 gms (ii) including services such as immunization, health check-ups etc
which have been part of the ICDS as part of the Act (iii) making provision of supplementary
nutrition for children in the14-18 age group.
• Amend the Child Labour
(Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 2012: to abolish all forms of child labour by removing the distinction
between hazardous and non-hazardous categories of work for all children up to
18 years of age.
• Invest adequately in
ensuring protection for children by: (i) implementing policies and programme that protect children from
abuse, violence and exploitation; (ii) investing in
appropriate referral services for the recovery, rehabilitation and
reintegration of victims of abuse, violence and exploitation; investing in
creating a cadre of trained professional (iii) creating robust
monitoring of implementation of child protection mechanisms, schemes and
policies (iv) creating a proper database for child
trafficking, street children, missing children and ensuring a fully functional
newly developed child tracking system – ‘Track child’.
• Ensure Gender Parity,
Social Equity, and the rights of Children with disabilities with providing equal opportunities for all
social groups – SC, ST, Minority group and urban deprived groups. Become more responsive
to needs of girl children and children with disabilities.
• Allocate sufficient
Budget for Children (BfC) allocations by
increasing the allocation from 4.64% to at least 10% of total Union Budget. Also introduce a child budget component in the budget of all
allied Ministries and ensure effective National, State and District-level
management and utilization of outlays/ budgets.

The best interest of the child needs to be put at the centre of
all policy, legislation and practice affecting their young lives. India’s one
third population deserves demonstration of commitment as a nation. It calls for
action to express zero tolerance towards violation of children’s rights so that
every child attains happy, healthy and creative childhood.

MACR- Manipur Alliance for Child Rights- Charter of demand in Assembly elcetion, 2012

1. A strong political commitment to find out a political solution in place of repressive militarisation policy, to end the
long dawn armed conflict, that has been bringing out xtraordinary denial of the right to survival, development, and
protection of all the children in Manipur, including the children living with HIV/AIDS, by repealing the AFSPA which gives impunity extra judicial powers to the army.

2. A holistic state policy for ensuring safe and secured environment, where each and every individual could enjoy the equal opportunity for economic, social and cultural development.

3. A mass employment policy for youths, providing employment opportunity within the state, not merely in state security forces but in welfare and other allied sectors.

4. Setting up of State Commission for Protection of Child Rights with the full strength of the members, free from any political interference, where independence of the commission members while providing justice to the aggrieved children is upheld.

5. A comprehensive State Children’s Policy, under which children are provided with all the entitled rights of survival,
development, protection and participation without any discrimination.

6. A commitment to announce the education institutions as completely free zone, free from any political interference, corruption, military occupation, economic hindrance, while
ensuring meaningful free and compulsory education to children.

7. A commitment for providing adequate budget for schools’ infrastructural development, with special provisions for accessing to barrier free for children with disability, creating an enabling environment, so- that teachers could attend the schools without any hindrance, adequate support and monitoring mechanism for complete implementation of Mid Day Meal scheme in Government Schools and Aided Private Schools in the state.

8. A commitment for adequate budget support for nfrastructural improvement of health institutions at Panchayat, Block and District level, accessible provisions
for institutional delivery in the PHCs with proper pre and ante natal care facilities.

9. A commitment to make all ICDS centres, accessible and functional, ensuring additional nutritional support to the Children Living with HIV/AIDS by linking with the existing
ICDS centres.

10. Commitment for timely disbursement of fund to the
Government sponsored children homes, proper implementation of Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS). Opening of Girls Shelter homes and Girls Children Homes
in the state on priority basis.

11. To set up Integrated Trauma Counselling cum Life skill Centres in all districts, for victims of child trafficking, rape,
conflict inflicted children, and other Child in Need of Care and
Protection and Juvenile in Conflict with
Law.

12. A commitment to ensure regular supply of safe
drinking water and uninterrupted power supply to every village and household, by acknowledging that without regular water and electricity supply, realisation of basic rights including right to life, right to education, right to health and development are not possible.

CRY- CHILD RIGHTS and YOU appeals to the people of Manipur on the event of Assembly election

1. Political and social stability in the state where people can be engaged in peaceful social and cultural life. Each and every individual, especially children could feel secure and protected. There must be ample opportunity for children and the youth to enjoy a happy and healthy life.
2. Children should be completely immunised at the community level. Government health services must reach every community so that each and every child can access basic Government health services.
3. Children below 6 years must be enrolled in ICDS centres and must get a midday meal along with additional food nutrient support. ICDS centres must be opened everyday for the children.
4. HIV positive children must get additional nutritional support, regular health check ups and ART treatment. Families of HIV positive children must get additional economic support from the state.
5. All children must get free and compulsory education at the community level. Government schools must be easily accessible and should have properly trained and qualified teachers.
6. Children must not be trafficked; it is the responsibility of the state to be alert on the issue of child trafficking, and ensure the protection of children at the community level.
7. All efforts must be made to rescue and rehabilitate trafficked children into society and through Government sponsored homes/institutions.
8. Children who are engaged as child labourers or as domestic workers must be rescued by the state and rehabilitated through proper legal actions by the state authority.

CRY- Child Rights & You Charter of demand on the occassion of 10th ManipurAssemble election

1. All political parties should commit to ensuring a safe and secured social environment, where each and every individual, especially children can enjoy a peaceful and healthy life; all individuals must get equal opportunity for economic, social and cultural development.
2. All political parties should commit to setting up a State Commission for Child Rights to protect the rights of children in the state. The Commission should be kept free from any political interference.
3. All political parties should commit to drawing up a clear-cut policy for children at the state level, where children will be provided with the rights to survival, development, protection and participation.
4. All political parties should commit to announce all educational institutions as zones free from political unrest, and ensure free and compulsory education to all the children.
5. All political parties should commit to allocate adequate budgetary provisions for building basic infrastructure for schools, with special provisions for disabled children.
6. All political parties should commit to make provisions for adequate budget support to develop infrastructure of health institutions at Panchayat, Block and District level. They must ensure that all children in the state can avail of free Government health services.
7. Long-term conflict has resulted in the unprecedented denial of the right to health, survival and development for all children in Manipur, including HIV positive children. The government should push for a permanent end to the armed conflict as it is one of the major reasons behind the poor access to healthcare.