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Children demand a right over their lives

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI DEC. 12. In an attempt to highlight the serious issue of child trafficking, several non-government organisations working for the rights of children gathered at Jantar Mantar in the Capital today. Shouting slogans to end child labour, it was also an occasion for children to demand a right over their own life.

Defining child trafficking as a movement of children from place to place through force, coercion or deception into situations of economic and sexual exploitation, activists demanded that the government should take a firm stand on this issue.

"Prostitution is the most recognised form of trafficking. Millions of children forced to beg, sell drugs, work as domestic servants or sold into marriage are often left out of the "standard definition". While the International Labour Organisation estimates that roughly 5 per cent of children in India form part of the total labour force, this is an area that is still being ignored,'' stated Rishi Kant of Shakti Vahini.

"We will protest against child trafficking every December 12 and want this date to be declared as Global Day Against Child Trafficking. This was the day on which the UN Convention against Translational Organisation Crime and its two Protocols on Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants were first opened for signatures at Palermo in Italy. What is wonderful about today is that a number of NGOs have got involved, not just the ones who are working with victims of sexual exploitation,'' he added.

Besides, expressing themselves through ``lung power'', the children also managed to make a statement through colours by signing on a canvas which will be presented to the Union Minister for Human Resource and Development, Murli Manohar Joshi, later this week.

Speaking on the occasion, the Nodal Officer to the National Human Rights Commission on Trafficking, P.M. Nair, urged children to unite for the good of society. "Child trafficking is on the increase in terms of numbers and dimensions. It is a universal problem. But NHRC has taken a good step in trying to address and understand the issue by first conducting a survey,'' he added.

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