The Hindu : Karnataka News : Fiat on children’s participation in gram sabhas raises eyebrows

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 23, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Fiat on children’s participation in gram sabhas raises eyebrows

Bageshree S.

Bangalore: To what degree should the opinion of children be part of the decision-making process in panchayat raj institutions?

A recent circular by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj asking all gram panchayats to hold special sabhas focusing on children’s issues, and asking for the direct participation of children in them has given rise to a debate on the question.

The circular states that children’s participation is a way of preparing them to be “active participants in gram sabhas when they grow up”.

Concerned for Working Children (CWC), which was consulted during the drafting of the circular, has welcomed it as a historic one “which recognises children as citizens of today and highlights the accountability of elected representatives to children of their communities”.

The NGO, which has worked in ensuring children’s participation in panchayats in Udupi, Bellary and Uttara Kannada districts, calls it a recognition of the right enshrined in Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Ganapathi of CWC says their experience had proved that children could indeed be “role models” for adult members. “Often what adults think is in the best interest of the child is not so in the child’s view,” says Mr. Ganapathi.

However, Child Rights Trust (CRT), another non-governmental organisation, argues that the emphasis on children’s participation in the circular “dilutes” adult responsibility in ensuring child’s rights. Says Vasudeva Sharma of CRT: “While eliciting views of children is necessary, the focus should not be diverted from the adult community taking responsibility for the rights of children.” He points to a study CRT did in Bellary which found that gram panchayats did not have even primary data on development indicators of children, a reflection of the absence of involvement of these bodies in child-centred issues. Niranjan Aradhya of the Centre for Child and Law, National Law School University, argues for a “sense of balance” while conceding that democratic values have to be inculcated at an early age.

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