The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : UNICEF backs children’s demands

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Saturday, Apr 19, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

UNICEF backs children’s demands

Staff Reporter

Political parties urged to provide healthcare, education, protection from violence

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Appeal to political parties: Children from various parts of the State at a function organised by Campaign Against Child Labour in Bangalore on Friday to voice their demands.

BANGALORE: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has lent its support to the demands of children in the State who have urged political parties to provide child-friendly health services, free and compulsory basic education, protection from violence and compulsory enforcement of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, among others.

Eighty children from eight north Karnataka districts discussed various issues under the aegis of Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL), Karnataka, Child Rights Trust and UNICEF here on Friday.

While four children — Shalini Shivalingappa Shettar, Bhoopanagouda Earanagouda Patil, Hulagappa Kanakappa Naik and Prakash Subhash Chavan — summarised their demands section-wise, a lone politician, UNICEF State Representative Michel Saint-Lot and Right Livelihood Award-winner Ruth Manorama responded to the demands.

On healthcare, the children demanded implementation of an integrated neonatal and childhood illness strategy, free ambulatory services for children and pregnant women and access to free paediatric AIDS drugs besides compulsory filling of all posts in rural health centres.

Provision of free and compulsory basic education through good schools; a system to protect every child from violence, exploitation and abuse; elimination of discrimination between boys and girls; compulsory enforcement of the PNDT Act; and elimination of child labour were some of the other demands.

Sanitation

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Saint-Lot said he was horrified to see people attending to nature’s call in open grounds. “This is not only unhygienic, but also gives way to various kinds of exploitation of women and children,” he said, and urged political parties to accord top-most priority to rural sanitation. This demand was from children who constitute 42 per cent of State’s population, he added.

Lone politician

The former Rajajinagar MLA N.L. Narendra Babu, who aspires to contest from Mahalakshmi Layout constituency on a Congress ticket, was the lone politician present, though the organisers had invited all political parties. Rated as one of the few child-friendly legislators by CACL, Mr. Babu said he had been espousing the cause of women and children as a public representative.

“I have formed a Students, Children and Women Task Force in my constituency to tackle issues related to this section,” he said, adding that his entry into politics was to serve the children and the youth. “The children have demanded ‘quality’ schools. But in my constituency all government schools are second to none,” he pointed out.

Mr. Babu promised the assembled children that he would continue to be their voice in the legislature.

CACL Core Committee member Vasudeva Sharma was present.

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