Date:23/06/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/yw/2009/06/23/stories/2009062350250400.htm

Learn without fear

ISHITA MEHTA

The focus of the campaign was reducing violence in school.

Recently, India Habitat Centre was full of activity and the laughter of children echoed through the halls. It was a press conference held by Children’s Advisory Board – CAB, a three year-old NGO. It launched ‘Learn without Fear’ campaign with Plan India last year. This summer they came to promote this campaign again.

Reduce right now

The CAB members conduct quiz sessions, film screenings and street plays for children. The Learn without Fear Campaign was launched in November 2008 by CAB with the emphasis on reducing violence against children in schools. Plan India interviewed children in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar and all of them shared experiences of being subject to some form of violence in their school.

This social evil is not specific to any particular strata of society and the aim of the ‘learn without fear’ campaign is to reach all such children.

Counter them

Lily Vishwanath, senior programme manager, advocacy, Plan India, said, “Children are subject to all forms of violence like corporal punishment and sexual violence.

So, under this campaign we teach them to counter them with ease.”

With kids

A striking feature of this NGO is that not only does it work for children it works with children, as Ms.Sandhya Bajaj member National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Govt of India said.

“It is by children, for children and of children.”

Asif Mohammad, Head of programme, Plan India seconded the opinion, adding,

“Children act as ideal ambassadors to engage the target audience for the campaign by working at the grassroots level for their own right”.