The Panchayat ( local governance) has a vital role in providing the needed infra-structure for promoting education, health and child friendly environment and to monitor to achieve holistic development of children and communities with a policy framework. However, most often they are dysfunctional and resources needed for such child development initiatives are never a priority. As principle leaders for local governance their current engagement in integrated child development is minimal & informal
The reasons being there is lack of awareness among people and accountability among the stakeholders.
As a 1992 signatory to the United Convention on the Rights of The Child (UNCRC), India has steadily evolved its laws and policies to give protection and empowerment to children. The UNCRC defines the nation’s obligation to help children have access to a list of essential rights. These 41 articles can be understood under 4 broad themes( Survival Rights, Development Rights,Protection rights, Participation rights). It is important to understand that they all interact and are integrated with each other. They also form the blueprint of how child rights are being fought for throughout the world by different governments, NGOs and concerned individuals.
IRCDS’s program is designed to build an safe and enabling environment that promotes Child friendly spaces in families, communities and institutions. Our program envisages children as right holders and can claim their rights.Duty bearers are accountable to ensure that the children have non-discriminatory access to quality services and their concerns are redressed through their active participation in empowered Communities and active and functional child protectionsystems. We are following Child Friendly Accountability Mechanism( CFAM) as a methodology to realise our goals. https://childfundalliance.org/our-work/strategic-priorities/child-friendly-accountability
We are working with the Communities and Govt. Institutions for by plugging the gaps through mobilization, capacitation, strengthening accountability mechanisms through evidences. Following are some of the activities that we engage in to ensure protection and participation of children:
Our activities :
- Awareness Campaigns on Child Rights and Breaking barriers to gender equality
- End child marriage, Child labour Campaign
- Promote Child/ youth clubs in the villages
- Capacity building of Children, Parents, community members and stakeholders
- Organise Interface meeting between children, Parents, community members and child protection actors
- Programs to ensure education of children
- Utilizing existing space and Creating space for children for their effective participation