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Annexure 2:
Inputs from the National Movement of Working Children:
We, the National Movement of Working Children, in our fifth meeting
held at Bangalore (April 27, 28 & 29, 2001), discussed the proposed
National Children’s Commission. These inputs of ours, the National
Movement of Working Children, will be circulated extensively in order
to bring in children’s direct inputs into the formation and
functioning of the National Children’s Commission.
We have come up with the following key issues that are grouped
under four heads:
- The role of the National Children’s Commission (NCC)
- The composition of the NCC
- The location of the NCC
- The functioning of the NCC
Our inputs were further developed during the Child Labour Day
celebrations of the Karnataka State Working Children’s Movement on
April 30, 2001
The role of the NCC
We children have our own rights. The Commission should make it
possible for us to realise them
The Commission should ensure that the State makes available to
us all that is due to us according to law
The Commission should ensure that we should not face any kind of
problems
The Commission should make sure that no rights of any children
are violated
The Commission should discuss children’s problems and find
solutions for them
The Commission should create opportunities for us to present our
issues. We children should be able to discuss all our problems with
the Commission and to find solutions together
It should help us to access an education that is of quality and
appropriate to us as stated in the Convention on the Rights of the
Child
It should make sure that no working child has any problems
It should support other unions and organisations in their work
The Commission should prevent exploitation of children
The Commission should ensure that children below the age of 18
should not be involved in harmful work.
The Commission should make sure that children who are involved
in harmful work have viable alternatives.
Our opinions should be reached to the government through the
Commission
The Commission should stop all exploitation of children by
employers
The Commission should ensure that children have access to all
the facilities we need
The police should be friendly with children. If they are not,
the Commission should take action. They should provide training to
the police about children
The Commission should be concerned about school dropouts. It
should find out why children are leaving school and work with other
organisation’s to solve their problems. It should improve the school
system to meet our needs.
Children face a lot of problems because of alcohol. The
Commission should shut down all liquor shops.
The Commission should work closely with organisations and forums
formed by children
Where they do not exist, the Commission should help children
form forums/organisations through which all children can share their
problems; where all children can participate as equals.
The Composition of the NCC:
The Commission should have representatives of our own
organisations. Children should be represented in the Commission –
with organised representation of working children, school going
children and disabled children
The adult members of the Commission should be aware of
children’s rights. They should be people who are capable of
understanding children’s situations. The members should be those who
are full of love and affection for us. The members should be those
who are capable of finding solutions to the problems we children
face. The members should be those capable of paying attention to us
and to hold discussions with us. They should be aware of children’s
organisations. Most importantly they should respect children and be
able to fill them with happiness
The members should be able to respect and support the decisions
children take. They should be able to provide quick relief to
children
The Commission should include representatives of the National
Movement of Working Children. It should have representatives of
Children’s Panchayats.
The Commission should include representatives of organisations
that work with us. Its members should include our well wishers.
It should have representatives of government officials, labour
unions and people who have a legal background. It should also have
doctors and counsellors.
- The location of the NCC
- Some of the facilities we need like police stations and
hospitals are not accessible to us. They are too far away. The
Commission should not be like that. It has to be always accessible
to us
- We should be able to contact the Commission easily through post
and phone. Its phone number should have least number of digits so
that children can remember it easily like the Makkala Sahaya Vani or
Children’s Help Line, telephone number: 1098.
- The Commission should be located within the village and slums at
such locations where they can be easily accessed
- The Commission should be in each state. There should be an
office at the national level. There should be links between the
different centres of the Commission.
- Where ever the governments are not doing good work, the
Commission should definitely be present
- Where ever there are large number of children working, the
Commission should be present there
- There should be Children’s Commissions in all countries of the
world so that the children of other countries can also benefit from
it.
- The functioning of the NCC
It should ensure that all children get justice. How ever
difficult the problem is, it should work in such a way that our
rights are realised. It should ensure that all children are able to
access all the facilities they need
It should give respect to us
It should work in such a way that children can reach it at
anytime, in any situation and inform our problems
Many times we children face problems because governments do not
do what they are supposed to do. The Commission should never do
that. It should work in such a way that no children are
inconvenienced
It should solve our problems immediately
Even if the problem is a small one, the Commission should give
it a lot of importance
There should be a lot of publicity about the Commission in all
places
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