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Right to Survival – A Basic Right of a Child

A call came to our CHILDLINE number - 1098  at 4.20  p.m on June 19, 2014 and the informer said that he found a new born baby with a family who were not the parents of the child at Karimadom slum.  Our team rushed to the spot and found a four days old baby with a physically challenged man and a blind woman who were incapable of caring for the child. They could not explain whose child it was. “A woman from Selam has been staying here for last three months and she gave birth to a child four days ago and left the place yesterday” said the neighbours.

Baby’s health was very critical as it was not receiving breast milk. Our staff rescued the child and handed over to the child to Child Welfare Council (Sisukshema Samiti) to care for the child.  We provided the details of the baby to the District collector Mr. Biju Prabhakar. He ordered an inquiry and asked the council to admit the baby to Thycaud Hospital for immediate medical care.

“Right to Survival” is a basic right of a child. According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) Child Rights are minimum entitlements and freedoms that should be afforded to all persons below the age of 18 regardless of race, colour, gender, language, religion, opinions, origins, wealth, birth status or ability and therefore apply to all people everywhere. The UN finds these rights interdependent and indivisible, meaning that a right cannot be fulfilled at the expense of another right. A Child’s right to survival begins from conception. The right to survival is inclusive of the child rights to be born, right to minimum standards of food, shelter and clothing, and the right to live with dignity.

Our team’s timely intervention has saved the life of the child and it is proved again that there can be no compromises where the right of a child is concerned. Let us join together to protect and uphold the right of every child!

S4S

Protect Children – Spreading the message!

From years of experience in dealing with problems faced by children, Don Bosco Veedu Society has formed a team called “Success for Success” (S4S) to provide awareness and educate child rights to children, parents, teachers and other stake holders.  As providing awareness to all people who deal with children is the best way to protect and promote child rights, we never lose a chance for the same.

The S4S team conducted an interactive session on child issues for ICDS workers at Priyadarshini Hall, East Fort on Monday, 09.06.2014. The class started at 10.am and concluded at 12 pm. More than 170 anganwadi workers and some teachers attended the training. The participants expressed their appreciation on the new knowledge they gained. One said: “The interactive sessions were so lively and informative, that it would surely be useful in dealing with children’s issues”.

Don Bosco Veedu Society’s ultimate aim is to protect the children from abusive and dehumanizing situation and to inspire them towards dignified life. The latest study of UNICEF shows that in India, children’s vulnerabilities and exposure to violations of their rights remain widespread and multiple in nature. The manifestations of these violations are various, ranging from child labour, child trafficking, to commercial sexual exploitation and many other forms of violence and abuse. Children especially in the early childhood are not safe even within the family. They are abused either physically or sexually. As per 2013-14 reports of CHILDLINE, Thiruvananthapuram 487 children have been protected from abusive situations in this district alone. This is indeed a cause for concern.

As  Anganwadi workers work at the grass root level training them can affect many more especially the families in the locality where they work.  

Stop Child Labour... Educate Children

From Hard Labour to the World of Letters

“I hail from a poor family at Puthukottai, Tamilnadu.  My life has been changed by the intervention of Don Bosco.  Now I am happy to attend school along with my brothers and friends”.

Thirupathi is a 16 years old boy from Puthukottai. On his way to Kozhikode to find a job, he was picked up by Don Bosco staff at Thiruvananthapuram Railway station. It took a few days of counseling to get informations about his home. Our staff contacted CHILDLINE  in Puthukottai and they traced his family. His father passed away and his mother’s income is meager to support the family. He has two younger brothers who are students. Tiruppathi wanted to join his mother to support the family.

We took him to Puthukottai CWC on 29^th May 2014.  With the help of CHILDLINE and CWC, he has been provided with a good facility to stay and study free of cost. The CWC has offered help also for Thiruppathi’s siblings. Now Thiruppathi is happy to resume his education.

Child labour is more a rural phenomenon than urban phenomenon in India. Due to acute poverty, poor families residing in rural areas like Thirupathi’s send their children to urban areas for bread and butter. This practice deprives children of their childhood, education and is harmful to their physical and mental development. Educating a can rescue a family from poverty.

Stop child labour….. Educate every child!

Catalyst for Change HD