Voice of strength
ROHINI RAMAKRISHNAN
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These children have dreams and they want to pursue it.
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"Whatever our dreams, we will print them and we'll show the world. I know we are poor but we've also got rights and those rights should be given to us. That's why our children's paper is working. We, the children have made it," says 14-year-old Deepak, one of the 50,000 street kids from New Delhi in the 21-minute child rights documentary "Listen to the Children".
TVE International in collaboration with the UNICEF ROSA office produced "Listen to the children", a TV programme, filmed in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, showcasing four case studies of children's right to expression. The Tamil version of this programme (done by TRUST HELP, Chennai), was released by a rehabilitated child worker recently and the first copy was received by the child artiste Kalyanee. A discussion of children's participation in society and Child's Rights followed.
As the film unfolded, the audience, especially the rehabilitated child labourers, watched with bated breath as it was their story too.
Stepping into Nepal, we meet 17-year-old Sita, a SOVAA — a Social Volunteer Against AIDS. This meant, "breaking rules," as it meant talking about sex, HIV and AIDS. It took a long time for her parents to realise that she was doing something good for her community. Another youngster, this time in the war torn eastern coast of Sri Lanka, has his own battle to fight. Seventeen-year-old Ehalingham in Sivanteevu realised that because of the civil war, education was destroyed and that children were working instead of studying. With the help of the Eastern Self-reliance Community Organisation (ESCO), he and his friends set up a club with the aim to expand the tiny school to accommodate older students.
"I wanted to study. I wanted to do something but they said, "you are a girl, you can't do anything" and they didn't value my opinions," says 16-year-old Shanti from Bangladesh. Boys used to grab her books and throw stones. The village elders tried to stop her. But she joined the Adolescent Girls' programme at the centre for Mass Education and Science, which changed her life. She was encouraged to value herself and her abilities and she learnt photography, which now brings in an income. Her message for girls is not to get married at the age of 14, which is a common occurrence in her village.
The children who watched the documentary saw in the four characters, their own determination and the grim battle to fight all odds, to survive and to change their lives for the better.
S. Sangeetha used to work in a leather factory for a weekly salary of Rs. 150. When the staff of TRUST HELP spoke to her parents, she realised she wanted to study and is in Std. X. Now 17 years old, she wants to complete her education and become a teacher.
Ramchand who is 12, worked in a mechanic's shed from the age of 10 for a salary of Rs. 500. His job was to hand out instruments to the mechanics. Now in Std. V, he dreams of becoming a doctor.
Kalayarasi has a message for her elders. "Please listen to our side of the story before you decide on anything. Respect our emotions," she pleads.
With seven years of experience as a helper in TRUST HELP, Sumithra works with children and women. She visits homes to talk to parents whose children work as labourers especially in the tanneries and the leather factories in Pallavaram and Chrompet.
Children who missed out on education attend the transit school run by the organisation and later are taken into the mainstream schools.
The scabs on the little hands have healed, and their eyes shine, for they know what they want, they want to go to school, no matter what.
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