LOVE LETTERS

Yashodhara has started an activity designed especially for the older children: writing to and receiving letters from youngsters who live at a Therapeutic Center located in the province of Girona, Spain. The activity was proposed and will be monitored by Silvia Torralvo, Coordinator of Fundación Lethe, and Eshana Alcover, live-in Volunteer at Yashodhara Shelter in Pune. Fundación Lethe is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of personality disorders and crises in teens, and promoting their inclusion in society and the job market.

Yashodhara children were shown pictures of the teenagers, their town and the Therapeutic Center facilities, and were told about the weekly activities and the work being carried out there. Then they got busy writing their letters, asking about their future pen pals’ tastes, friends, school, and inviting them to come to Pune. The children made an effort to write in English, though in a simple way, as their mother tongue is Marathi.

This initiative is an attempt to bring teens from Lethe Foundation close to other youngsters who perhaps come from homes with family conditions similar to theirs. We hope that they can all share experiences, hopes and dreams, and that this exchange will bring joy to everyone’s life.

UNIVERSAL CHILDREN'S DAY

Universally, Children’s Day is celebrated on 20th November (November 14th in India). It was instituted with the sole aim of promoting communal exchange and understanding among children, and bringing about beneficiary action to promote the welfare of children all over the globe.

The day is marked with a lot of activities, but the fact remains that only a section of India’s children have the opportunity to celebrate their existence. Schools organize events and activities that students thoroughly enjoy, but there are millions of that are left out on this special day – the downtrodden street and slum children.

Instead of just celebrating the day with pomposity in schools and clubs and hotels, why not also make a difference in the lives of materially underprivileged children? How about taking well-to-do children to homes that shelter street children and have them befriend those kids, play with them and share the items that middle and upper class children take for granted, like clothes, toys, stationery, books, etc.?

Another way of celebrating this day would be to have children organize a party for some socially disadvantaged children with the help of a teacher or parent. In fact, if this were done in every neighborhood, imagine how many smiles there would be across the nation. Moreover, these occasional gestures could result in long term initiatives from adults and even children, since once they have come into close contact with populations so different from what they are accustomed to, an awareness and a new outlook may arise as well as the will to help transform inequality from its roots.

Source: Indian Child

CHILD LABOR DOESN'T WORK

Inside the Delhi High Court complex children as young as ten or twelve are commonly seen working in tea stalls. This is the very same High Court that passed a landmark judgment over two years ago sanctioning the police to slap a spot fine of Rs.20,000 on anyone found to be employing child labor.

Five years have passed since the Child Labor Prohibition and Regulation Act of 1986 (CLPRA) was amended to include as child labour children working in homes, tea stalls, etc., but little, if anything, has changed for laborers below the age of 14.

For years, the excuse of poverty has been trotted out as a reason why child labour cannot be eliminated in India - even policymakers use this argument. Does poverty justify children being subjected to physical, sexual and psychological abuse? Does poverty justify children being sold into prostitution? Does poverty justify children being robbed of their childhood?

While poverty is certainly a reason for child labor, it is a fallacious argument that it is the only reason. You do not have to wait to eradicate poverty before eliminating child labor. In India, despite the Right to Education Act coming into force two years ago, millions of children are still engaged in child labor. The paradox of two contradictory laws: one regulating child labor and another mandating children to be in school, speaks volumes of the inability or even the unwillingness of the State to change the status quo.

And what about the great Indian middle class that has contributed to and benefited from the runaway growth story? It knowingly employs children in homes using the same argument of poverty. More than the inadequacy of existing legislation or the moral bankruptcy of policy makers, it is the middle class who sanction and legitimize this modern-day slavery called child labour.

Source: Save the Children

MY CHILDHOOD, MY RIGHT

In a village in West Bengal, Anita, 15, holds back tears as her father plans to marry her off to her cousin. Anita’s mother shouts, trying to convince the father to change his mind. After a while, the police come and set the father straight.

In a grassy open area, 300 hundred people, mostly men and boys, are closely following this street play, which spreads messages against child marriage and promotes girls education.

Anita joined a theatre group after her parents planned for a marriage, which she refused. “They arranged my marriage with my cousin but never asked my opinion,” she recalled. “I was very upset. Finally I told my mother that I wanted to study.” Being in the theatre group has given Anita the power to voice her opinion.

Headed under the campaign slogan ‘My childhood, my right!’, a joint initiative between the District Administration and UNICEF promotes the value of girls with a focus on reducing child marriage. The initiative began in 2009 with the aims of raising awareness about child marriage, strengthening adolescent groups and mobilizing communities through folk media and theatre plays. Starting in 30 selected villages, it has gradually spread to the rest of the district.

Girls’ education and their economic independence are seen as key solutions. “It is useless to talk about prevention of child marriage if the girls have no alternative options for livelihood and will continue to be seen as parents’ liability and burden,” explained a member of the Child Welfare Committee. “Vocational training is offered to adolescents in the district but new challenges emerge when they try to market their products. They need new skills.”

Looking back, Anita’s mother said she and her husband felt they were doing a good thing. “We knew the boy and his family. They are rich, and we are not,” she explained. “We were aware that child marriage is illegal, but that is the practice here. But now we know better. All families should take our example.

Source: childinfo.org