Children track their rights in day-long exercise in Madurai

Priya is part of one among the seven groups comprising 50 members in total. Of the total, 36 children were on a mission to track child rights in the city of Madurai.

Marking the 30th year of The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the day-long exercise has been carried out by Sakthi-Vidiyal, an NGO based in Madurai. Talking to DT Next, C Jim Jesudoss, Executive Director of Sakthi-Vidiyal and a child rights practitioner, said, “We have been encouraging children to be part of the society and UNCRC has guaranteed many rights to children including the right to participation. However, not much attention is given to it. There are regular training and orientation classes on the rights for the children. Only when the children identify their rights, they are able to seek them from the stakeholders and the government.”

The children who received this training in the age group between 13 and 17 years of age, explored various aspects of child rights, including right to development, the kind of healthcare services available and the maintained standards of the facilities for children.

Priya rightfully identifies the problems in the city with respect to child rights from her day-long expedition. She says, “The children’s park which was developed to provide recreational space for children has been converted into a resting spot by adults and this robs the children of their rights. Many homes in Subramaniyapuram do not have toilets, leaving the children at risk as they defecate in the open. It is both a health and safety risk.”

The children accompanied by 14 volunteers in the teams will document their findings and make a presentation in the coming days.

The 25-year-old organisation has been roping in children from marginalised sections of society from across the slums in the city for this advocacy measure. The areas include Melavasal, Thideer Nagar, Heera Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, Muthupatti, Subramaniyapuram, and Avaniapuram.