A critique of the recent order issued by the

Government of Karnataka to

Conduct Special Children’s Grama Sabhas about children’s rights

9th Novermber, 2006
 

The Concerned for Working Children welcomes the announcement by the Panchayat Raj Ministry, Government of Karnataka to hold yearly ‘Special children’s Grama Sabhas’ in all Panchayats in this state in November as it sends out a message that children are acknowledged as active members of their rural communities.

However, a careful reading of the order (See Annexure 2) indicates that these special Grama Sabhas are being visualised merely as annual events for awareness generation in Panchayats rather than as a serious intervention that respects children as citizens and holders of rights. Our critique draws from our two decade long experience in facilitating children’s political participation from local to international levels. 

We, the Concerned for Working Children have for the past 20 years, enabled children to voice their concerns and find solutions. We facilitated the very first children’s Grama Sabha in the country in 2002 (See detailed report published in the Deccan Herald as Annexure 3). Vinay Kumar Sorke, MP, local MLA’s, Zilla and Taluk Panchayat Presidents, Government Officials and Gram Panchayat members actively promoted and supported this initiative.

We have, through the setting up of Makkala Panchayats (Children’s Local Government) linked children to the Gram Panchayats through a Children’s Rights Task Force. In selected Panchayats in three districts of Karnataka this has enabled children to be actively involved in the governance of their Panchayats.

As a part of this process, children have been conducting their own surveys, drawing up their own five-year plans and negotiating solutions with the Gram Panchayats through the Gram Sabhas and Children’s Rights Task Forces on a regular basis.

Deriving inspiration from this, in 2004 the Udupi District administration invited the children of the 56 Panchayats in Kundapura Taluk to participate in the formulation of the 10^th V year plans. As a result for the first time in the history of Karnataka, (even India) children’s participation and as a consequence, adult participation in the formulation of the Five Years plans became a reality.  

These plans were qualitatively and quantitatively superior as their brought to fore front issues and problems that were completely substantiated on the basis of data collected by children that they cross-verified. The Panchayat found them irrefutable and were compelled to take note of a large number of issues hitherto ignored.   

Recognising the benefits and advantages of this process the children of Kundapura Taluk have made a demand that Makkala Panchayats and Makkala Grama Sabhas (Children’s Rights Task Forces) be set up in every Panchayat in Karnataka. This demand has been accepted by the Taluk and Zilla Panchayat and they together with the children of this Taluk are in the process of setting up these Makkala Panchayats.

Recognising this unique and valuable experience, the Nazir Sahib Institute of Rural Development and the State Administrative Training Institute have been using the expertise and experience of these children and CWC functionaries as resource persons in their training programmes for the past seven years.

In the light of this experience we wish to make a few comments in order to strengthen the State’s objective and give it more depth and meaning.

The issues related to the recent order by the Government of Karnataka are as follows:

1. Urban children totally left out of the process: The proposed Special Children’s Grama Sabhas will be conducted only in Grama Sabhas (Rural Panchayats). This leaves out millions of children who are in the urban areas of the State.

The possibility of holding Children’s Nagara Sabhas should be actively explored together with Child Governed Organisations, NGOs working with children and the City Corporations and Municipalities.

2. The Special Children’s Grama Sabhas are visualised as a one time yearly event and not as an integral part of the activities of the Grama Panchayats: Unlike the adult Grama Sabhas that are intended to be the foundation of democratic civil society participation – these Children’s Grama Sabhas are presented only as a day long event that brings together children and adults of the Panchayat to provide awareness about children’s situation, rights, adult roles and state programmes related to children.

 The Special Children’s Grama Sabhas should be held at least 4 times a year – once every quarter, on predetermined dates. There should be adequate preparation for these Grama Sabhas and all groups of children should be enabled to have discussions among themselves, consolidate the issues they wish to discuss and collect information to support their demands.

3. Structures for Children’s Participation in the Special Children’s Grama Sabha are not referred to: In order to ensure that the participation of children in the special Children’s Grama Sabhas is not adhoc and individualistic and that children have a platform that brings them together, and where they are able to discuss issues of their concern among themselves and prioritise them prior to presenting them before the entire community; it is important that children have Makkala Panchayats (as in Kundapura Taluk) in all Panchayats. Further, it must also be noted that it is extremely challenging for children to access new spaces among adults to raise their issues. They find it easier to do so if they are organised as groups that share common concerns.

Makkala Panchayats (as in Kundapura ) that provide children the mandate, the platform and the collective understanding to  make the best use of the Special Children’s Grama Sabhas, need to be set up. Children should also be encouraged to form child led groups.

4. Children viewed as audience – not active participants: Children’s right to participate and to be heard (mention no), one of the most important rights recognised by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, is not referred to in this order. Children are visualised as a mere audience and recipients of information among a host of other adults. While a few issues are suggested as the basis of discussions in these Children’s Grama Sabhas such as bonded labour, school enrolment and protection of girls, there is no reference to children as proactive agents of change where by they present issues of their concern, report on violations of their rights and make suggestions for improving the quality of their lives.

The Special Children’s Grama Sabhas should be structured and planned in     such a way that child governed organisations and all children are provided the space and means to present issues of their concern, report on violations of their rights and make suggestions for improving the quality of their lives. The scope for negotiations between the children (supported by their parents and community) and government departments should be provided and a methodology should be specially designed and integrated into this process.

5. These Grama Sabhas are not linked to the planning process and programme implementation of the Panchayats: The current practice of children inputting into the planning processes of the Gram Panchayats is not visualised. The Government Order in its present form does not suggest that the members of the Adult Panchayat should take on board and respond to issues that children broach with appropriate action.

It should be made mandatory that the Gram Panchayats minute the proceedings and note all issues raised by children in the Special Children’s  Grama Sabhas just as in the (Adult Grama Sabhas) and that these issues are discussed and decisions are taken by the Gram Panchayats and the appropriate Government Departments.

6. No special spaces created for marginalised children and children with special needs: Children are not a large homogenous group. Many of them belong to extremely marginalised groups and are unlikely to feel comfortable to articulate their needs or issues in mixed groups.

For the Grama Sabha to serve all children equally, special spaces and opportunities should be provided to underprivileged children and children with special needs.

7. The status of children from migrant communities not referred to in connection with this order: Many rural areas now house communities that have migrated from other districts and states. This order does not clearly state that children from these communities should also be considered as children of the Panchayats where they reside.

The Special Children’s Grama Sabhas should make extra efforts to include children from migrant communities and pay special attention to their concerns and needs. 

8. No budget set aside for issues that children may raise: Our experience shows that given the opportunity children will raise issues that affect them related to education, health, access to water and fuel, transport and recreation. The adequate addressing of these issues requires funds even with community participation.

The State needs to make provision for appropriate funds to meet the requirements of addressing issues that children raise in the Special Children’s Grama Sabhas.

9. The scope of this Grama Sabha is limited to the participation of representatives of the Department of Women and Child Welfare, Education and Police: Children’s issues cover a vast gamut of issues – that include education, health, infrastructure, revenue etc.

In addition to those department listed above, the presence of all the other concerned departments – as in the case of adult Grama Sabhas should be present during the Grama Sabha for a comprehensive response to children’s needs and Rights.

10. No reference to capacity building for adults who conduct and facilitate the Special Children’s Grama Sabhas: The members of the Gram Panchayats and government officials concerned with enabling the Special Children’s Grama Sabhas need inputs on children’s rights, enabling children’s participation and addressing violation of children’s rights.

Appropriate arrangements need to be made to provide such capacity building. The design of these modules may be drawn for the existing practice and experience of the Kundapura Taluk.

11. The GO suggests that reports on these Special Children’s Rights Gram Sabhas are provided to the Government by the Gram Panchayats: These Reports are only suggested and not mandatory. Further no Action Taken Reports (ATRs) have been asked for. This further illustrates that these Children’s Grama Sabha are seen as one-time annual events and not as space for children’s social and political participation in local governance.    

It is suggested that both reports of the proceedings and the action taken be provided by the Gram Panchayats to the Government.

12. This GO requires the “Compulsory Participation” of children within the jurisdiction of the Grama Panchayat, parents, Anganwadi workers, supervisors of the department of Women and Child Welfare, junior women health workers, all school teachers, police officials, members of the school development and monitoring committee, representatives of the local NGOs: This contradicts the spirit of the Convention on the Rights of the Child which this order claims to uphold. Children cannot be and should not be compelled through compulsion to take part in these Grama Sabhas and so also parents, NGOs and members of the community.

The Children’s Rights Grama Sabhas should be widely publicised and it should be ensured that information regarding this reaches all children including out of school children, migrant children and children with special needs. The Children’s Grama Sabha itself should be made interesting, lively and attractive, ensuring a non-judgemental and safe environment so that children are motivated to attend and discuss their problems in a frankly, freely and honestly.

In the present form the GO, though a positive step in addressing children’s issues at the level of the Gram Panchayats will only remain an empty gesture and an act of tokenism when it comes to fulfilling Children’s Right to Participation. 

We therefore urge the Government of Karnataka to take cognisance of the above mentioned recommendations and act upon them at the earliest so that the Special Children’s Rights Gram Sabhas become a permanent and mandatory part of the functioning of all Panchayats in Karnataka and children are enabled to effectively use this platform to realise all their rights through their active participation and in partnership with adults.

The Concerned for Working Children is happy to offer its support, expertise and assistance by providing training and consultancy and any other assistance to enable the Government of Karnataka to implement this programme and make children’s rights a reality in this state. 

Annexure 2: Literal Translation of the GO Karnataka Order

Annexure 3: “Partners in progress” an Article about the First ever children’s Grama Sabha in India held in 2002 and facilitated by the Concerned for Working Children

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