Child-Friendly Community where children up to the age of 18 years are given quality education, health facilities, nutritious food, enough opportunities for sports and entertainment along with a stage to share their thoughts and views so that elders can listen to them and understand them as well.
When it comes to the Adivasi or tribal children, the deprivation is apparent. There are many of them who are deprived of basic education, health care, nutritious food and other things that make up a complete childhood. So, Life Catalyst a non-governmental organisation has been making efforts to uplift them and create a community where children are self-reliant, independent and can self-advocate their needs.
For achieving this goal, the civil society has divided the implementation process into four important pillars.
The term ‘Right to Survival’ refers to a fundamental right that is given to every citizen of India by the constitution. But “child right to survival”, especially in tribal areas, means the right to birth, the right to care from a guardian, suitable health care and health education, safe drinking water, right to the reception of identity and nationality and having a legal name.
Right to birth
In a society where female feticide is common, pregnancy termination is also widely prevalent as indicated by the latest pattern. This is where ‘right to birth’ comes into play. Every child, irrespective of age or gender, has the right to take birth, live and grow into a healthy adult.
Right to care
Every tribal child has the right to be taken care of and to grow up in a protected environment where their basic needs are being fulfilled and where they remain safe from exploitation, harassment and away from miscreants.
Suitable health care and health education
Every tribal child, irrespective of the circumstances under which they are growing up, has the right to access the benefits of a good health care system. They also have the right to an education that will increase their awareness about leading a healthy life.
Safe drinking water
Access to pure and safe water and sanitation are imperative for a child’s healthy and disease-free life.
Right to identity
Having a surname, a first name, or knowledge about their parents is a basic right that any tribal child must be ensured by the government.
Tribal children are usually more vulnerable to discrimination. Hence, the society must ensure that they get an environment where there is no discrimination based on color, race, caste, gender or for being differently-abled. The concept of child marriage, still prevalent in many parts of Rajasthan, needs to be abolished. It has to be ensured that a child isn’t ignored or faces cruelty or falls into the trap of bonded labour. They have to be protected against physical or mental torture and kept away from intoxicating substances. A child must be protected from natural and man-made calamities like floods, earthquakes, drought and war, among others. Apart from these, it is important to safeguard a child from being exploited sexually and from being kidnapped. Above all, it should be ensured that minors are not lured into crime and those found guilty are corrected and helped to get back into the society.
Anti-discrimination
Children are more vulnerable to discrimination. The trauma of discrimination in childhood stays for life and affects the overall personality. Hence it is even more important that they are being safeguarded from discrimination in different places. Children mostly experience discrimination related to origin, gender, language, religion, disability and sexual orientation, among others.
Against Child Marriage
It would not be wrong to call child marriage the end of a beautiful childhood. Sadly, it is still prevalent in many states of India, especially in Rajasthan. It is an injustice to replace school lessons with household responsibilities and forced pregnancy; this is nothing but a violation of human rights. As a community, we have to ensure that ‘child marriage’ is completely removed from society.
Against Physical & Mental Torture
Both physical and mental torture has an everlasting effect on the child’s mind and makes them very fragile emotionally. They either lose their self-confidence or they are unable to socialize. Hence, we as a society have to ensure that children are being protected against physical and mental torture.
Protection Against Sexual Abuse
In India, most recorded cases of child sexual abuse either have a family member or a person known to the child present behind the crime. This means that the child has to be protected at home as well as at the community level.
Explained literally, development refers to the whole process by which a child turns into an adult. For such holistic development, a child has the right to primary education, right to engagement in sports and cultural activities etc. Every tribal child has the right to education till the primary level as well as the right to participation in sports, entertainment, and cultural activities. Under the right to development, it is important that a specially-abled child is being taken care of by the family.
What makes a child-friendly village?
Children of age 0-3 years getting all facilities available at the Anganwadi centre. Some of these facilities include vaccination & timely health check-ups and development assessments
Right to participation can be described as the right of a child to express themselves in all matters concerning and affecting them. In other words, they are involved in the decision-making process of such matters.
Under articles 12 and 13, the right to an opinion is guaranteed to all children. They have the right to voice their opinions even though their opinion might not be as logical or factual as that of elders. Still, parents or guardians, must consider a child’s opinion and make them part of the decision-making process.