Manipur Alliance for Child Rights: June 2014

Monday, June 30, 2014

State Level Cultural Meet- 2014

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Consultative meet on JJ Act details finer points at CCpur

LAMKA, May 29: The Manipur Alliance for Child Rights, Churachandpur Chapter (MACR-CC) organised a one day consultative meeting on Juvenile Justice Act, POCSO Act, Substance Abuse Act and the role of media in relation to the laws.

The district’s SP, Kabib, while speaking as a resource person said that the children are safeguarded by the law and in this regards, the police have special justice units led by SI/ASI rank officers, particularly women personnel.

The role of the society and the media on the issue are very important, he said before appealing to all to take active roles.

The SP said it is a sensitive issue, any victim or accused, i.e juvenile in conflict with the law, need to be handled with utmost care.

He said a police shouldn’t be in his official uniforms rather should be in civvies, while handling the victims or accused.

Woman police are more preferred during such cases, he said and added the personnel should act according to the convenience of the child.

And even if such an accused is found guilty, he or she should be put in an observation home and not in one run by the police.

IFP Group Editor, Pradip Phanjoubam speaking on the topic ‘role of media’ said the media persons need to be committed in their work, as competition is high.

He said the impression that the media/ press know it all is a wrong conception and further suggested organising of periodical refresher courses.

He also said that the practice of printing the details and pictures of juveniles is wrong and call for stern actions.

The other resource person, Pishak, head of the New Life Foundation and the secretary of MACR and a noted activist of child rights said the public need to be more aware of the JJ Act, and learn more of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

MACR- CC rev Dr Nicky said substance abuse is one root cause of disorder in the district, and all should be part of the fight to eradicate such evils.

Retrospection, introspection and action are the need of the hour, he expressed.

He further lauded all those who are attending the meeting and commended the Khuga Company Station of the Red Shield Division and its CO Colonel Anil.

Secy info and pub, MACR-CC Alex Guite gave the vote of thanks, and express thankfulness to the participant media persons, and then the resource persons.

He further thanked Khuga Company col Anil for his help in organising the meeting, DC PK Jha for allowing the use of the District Training Centre and others.

MACR appeals State to adopt policy to check school hostels, boardings

IMPHAL, May 27: The Manipur Alliance for Child Rights has appealed to the State government to adopt a policy to check the incidents of hostels and school authorities physically and emotionally abusing student inmates of the hostel.

A press release said, the policy to check that all school boardings and hostels including the residential special training centres run under the SSA are mandatorily registered under a specific legislation and made to follow a set of prescribed guidelines and rules that ensure minimum infrastructure, food and nutrition, medical, educational facilities and provision for grievances redressal mechanism, it said.

The alliance has further stated that no one can run any unregistered ‘child caring institution.’

Children Homes, observation homes, shelter homes, open shelter or adoption centres as well as school boardings and hostels are mandatory to be registered and certified as fit prior to its actual functioning, it said.

Further continuing on the issue of child rights, he said all staff must be given basic training on child rights/ JJ Act and RTE Act and must be accountable, opened to periodic monitoring, inspection and social audits to make sure that fundamental rights of the children are protected and basic requirements of the children in the institutions are properly maintained, it said.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

National Child Rights Research Fellowship 2014 - 15

National Child Rights
Research Fellowship 2014 - 15

Child Rights and You (CRY) welcomes applications from Research fellows exploring the various dimensions of child rights, within the broad understanding of Justice for Children. As an organisation CRY is committed to changing the way children experience their childhood by being strategic in our choice of issues, approaches and utilisation of resources to maximise our impact on children. This commitment to children is reiterated through the CRY goals as outlined below:

Access to high quality education that is free for all children until they turn 18 years old.
Ensure that children survive, grow and develop in a healthy manner.
Tackle Malnutrition, actively focussing on bringing about a reduction in the rate of child malnutrition in CRY project areas.
Contribute towards creating a protective environment for children that is free from violence, abuse and exploitation
Ensure that children’s voices are recognised as significant and unique in issues that affect them, and amplify their cares and concerns to society at large.

Possible Focus Areas: Researchers are welcome to expand and interpret themes, based on their life experiences and vision.

Explorations of the relationships of the child with other children, with the state, community and the family
Evidences of the assertion or rejection of the role of children in decision making arenas, such as home, school, work, play spaces and governing institutions
Gather evidence on relationships between ethnicity, inequality and conflict as witnessed and/or experienced by children
Is the ‘best interest principle’, a value, a constitutional right, an interpretative advocacy instrument or a rule of law?

Eligibility: Applicants will be Indians residing in India, above the age of 18 years. If your proposal is part of a submission to any academic institution or if the fellow is already receiving funding for conduct of the research proposed, will be ineligible for this fellowship.

Language: Applicants may choose to work in any Indian language including English. Your application needs to clearly mention the language in which you will submit the report. As the assessment of your research proposal will be conducted in English, please also include an English translation of the proposal, CV and writing sample.

Grant Sizes: Up-to five fellowships ranging from Rs.50,000 to Rs.1 lakh will be awarded. Fellows are free to continue their primary occupation. Proposals above one lakh will not be reviewed. The fellowship grant will be released in installments against specific deliverables.

Duration: The duration of the fellowship is one year. Proposals where duration exceeds a year will not be considered.

Essential requirements

A three-page proposal, which briefly explains topic of study, objectives and research questions within a framework, proposed methodology, time line, a reading list of related literature/existing studies on the subject and a detailed budget.
A two page updated CV
A writing sample of published or unpublished paper/article or any documentation done on a related theme.
Name, phone number and email addresse of two referees willing to furnish a reference for you.

Last Date for receiving applications is June 20th, 2014.
Please E-mail your application to: research@crymail.org in the absence of internet access you may send your application by post to
CRY-Child Rights and You, Documentation Centre,
189 A, Anand Estate, Sane Guruji Marg, Mumbai 400011.

The names of researchers awarded the Fellowship will be announced on www.cry.org in September 2014.

CRY - Child Rights and You is an Indian NGO that believes in every child’s right to a childhood - to live, learn, grow and play. For over 30 years, CRY and its 200 partner NGOs have worked with parents and communities to ensure Lasting Change in the lives of more than 2,000,000 underprivileged children, across 23 states in India. For more information please visit us at http://www.cry.org/

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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.