Child Rights Convention week inauguration today

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, NOV. 13. A series of events, including `Bala Tharangalu', a programme on children's perspective on cinema, and `Bachpan Utsav', a girl child mela, have been lined up for the Child Rights Convention (CRC) week this year being observed here from November 14 to 20 with the theme `Celebrate Childhood'.

The UNICEF, in collaboration with the Women and Child Welfare Department and NGOs, is organising the week-long programme, to be inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, here on Wednesday. It is also coinciding with the International Children's Film Festival commencing tomorrow.

Mr. William Thompson, State Representative of UNICEF, stressed that the CRC week was not a one-off event, but was part of the ongoing programmes. The events seek to highlight the emerging trends and problems confronting children. The year had been exciting and challenging, beginning with immense participation and collaboration related to the `Global Movement for Children' and `Say Yes for Children' campaign.

He said the `Say Yes for Children' campaign had focussed on ten points, including `Leave no child out', `Care for every child', `Fight HIV/ AIDS', `Stop harming and exploiting children', `Listen to children' and `Educate every child'.

During the last several months, children and adults cast their votes on what they saw as which of the above ten points demand greatest attention and priority in the State. Over eight lakh votes had been cast and the result would be announced on November 20.

Mr. Thompson said the situation assessments in the State showed that while progress for children had transpired during the last decade, there were still several critical gaps requiring collective attention. Some of these include no change in infant mortality rate in rural areas, malnutrition high at 38 per cent, highest prevalence of low birth-weight babies (23 per cent) among the Southern States and anemia in 72 per cent of children.

Mrs. Shalini Misra, Commissioner, Women and Child Welfare Department, said the State was in the process of coming out with a child development policy, incorporating the views expressed by the children. Children had prime place in the State's Vision-2020 document. Mr. Dothanga, Commissioner, Juvenile Welfare, spoke of the need for taking corrective steps, including educational facility for streetchildren.

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