Children parliamentarians from across India took oath as National Inclusive Children’s Parliament’s ministers and interacted with duty bearers to incorporate their voices and recommendations on the United Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
They plan to submit to government functionaries and elected representatives at the state and national level including the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the National Commission for the protection of child rights. At the international levels this report is designed to be tabled before the UPR (Universal Periodic Report) of the UN Human Rights Council.
Over 600 children and their supporters interacted with the convener of the Parliamentarian’s Group for Children Gaurav Gogoi and other members of Parliament on the eve of the announcement of the National Budget to share their finding of their ‘CRC (Children Reviewing Child- rights) In India Report.
PRATYeK the convening organization conducted six days long National Inclusive Children’s Parliament (NICP) process to sensitize the children about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, Government and CRC, Family and Protection, Health, Education, Vulnerable Groups, Environment, Participation, and Budget for children.
With the presence of Member of Parliaments and Parliamentary Group for Children (PGC), the week-long program culminated on 30th January 2022 promoting Gandhi Ji’s Antodaya. The children from multiple states across India took oath as SDGs ministers hailing from vulnerable communities and rural setups.
During the interaction, children shared the recommendations collected in UNCRC, UPR shadow report and environmental report which was created by, of and for the children of India. The event witnessed the key speakers recognizing the current situation of child rights in India.
Some of the guest speakers who engaged with children were Gaurav Gogoi, Smt Fouzia Khan, Hasnain Masoodi, Smt Sampatiya Uikey, Smt Sandhya Ray and Dr Manish Gawai from the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
The finding CRC in India report which comprised of feed-back received from over 4000 child-citizens from varied neighborhood child parliamentarians and students from across the country revealed that only 28.56% of those interviewed rated child-rights as ‘blooming’ suggesting that while it is available in spirit and law there is much need for it to be marked as fully realized.
This UNCRC shadow report also revealed that only 8.70% of the children believed that the ecological rights of children are recognized.
Bharat from Kerela creatively used these skills at puppetry to anchor a ‘children at 9’ New broadcast with local child journalists reporting from across Maharashtra, West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Delhi and Bhopal on their recommendations to the Members of parliament and to other present dignitaries.
Steve Rocha the convener of the movement said, ‘we are in the midst of silent revolution led by young citizens who dream beyond borders, who dare beyond barriers and who work beyond the banter to realise a just, equitable, inclusive and sustainable world.’
They are determined to claim their right as active and engaged global citizens by sitting outside parliament and inside, demanding that their voices are genuinely heard around the dining table to national round tables, from neighbourhood councils to UN council to realize child rights and earth rights, N.O.W.! (No other way), he added.
