Tamil Nadu   

Child survivors to be retained in their natural environment

Special Correspondent

Consultation for evolving standards for child participation in tsunami rebuilding process, emergencies Consultation for evolving standards for their participation in tsunami rehabilitation Post tsunami, the Government and voluntary agencies provided child-friendly spaces, entertainment and psycho-social counselling

PHOTO: R. RAGU

DRUMMING UP SUPPORT: C.V. Shankar, Special Officer, Relief and Rehabilitation, inaugurating a consultation in Chennai on Friday. (From left) Nalini Keshavaraj, Pieter Bult, Rita Panekar and Barbara Atherly, look on.

CHENNAI: Involvement of children as participants in the decision making process, experimented with during the tsunami rehabilitation programme, must be extrapolated to other situations involving calamities and disasters, said C.V. Shankar, Special Officer, Relief and Rehabilitation.

Mr. Shankar was speaking at a consultation for evolving minimum standards for child participation in the tsunami rebuilding process and emergencies, organised by the Tamil Nadu Tsunami Resource Centre in Chennai on Friday. Post tsunami, the Government and a number of voluntary agencies working in the field went the extra mile to provide child-friendly spaces, entertainment and psycho-social counselling and to get them involved in various activities. In addition to this, efforts had been initiated to put them back in school, Mr. Shankar said.

The State had also recognised the importance of retaining children in their natural environments and prevented adoption of children orphaned by the tsunami. Mr. Shankar said an evaluation must be made of the kind of support systems that are required to involve children in the process.

Introducing the concept, Nalini Keshavaraj of the TNTRC said the movement to involve children was gaining momentum the world over, but even then certain minimum standards had to be put in place.

The traditional idea of children as beneficiaries and not as active participants was changing and giving way to an active promotion of child participation, Rita Panekar of Butterflies, an NGO working with children in the tsunami-hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said. Some examples of child participation were available. Surveys done among the affected children indicated that many of them were unhappy with their temporary shelters. Rekha Rajkumar of Plan International said it was important to prepare the child, the community, voluntary organisations and the government for child participation.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Child survivors to be retained in their natural environment
Avudaiappan, Duraisamy assume charge
Sudarsanam elected CLP leader
End sought to annual ordeal for elephants
Sivapunniam CPI leader in Assembly
Coast Guard rescues 31 refugees
Jangid posted as new ACP, Chennai
New DMK district secretary
Submerged in water
Busy road in tatters
Briefly

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu