With cases of child abuse rising in India, the International Services Association (INSA) gave children the opportunity to ‘express’ themselves. ‘Expressions 2013’, an encourage children to speak about their experience of child abuse, was held at Bal Bhavan here on Friday. Children from six schools and five care homes turned up for the event.
The event was organised to spread the word on child rights, and child abuse and urging them to voice the abuses they face in their lives. Speaking to the children during the event, H.R. Umesh Aradhya, chairperson, Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR), said problems faced by children can be solved only when children share such experiences so that we can empower them by taking action.”
Ali Khwaja, founder of Banjara Academy, a counselling centre, emphasised the need for ‘expressing’ the injustices done to children. Student representatives who participated in the programme reiterated the importance of speaking out. “I did not realise that I was a victim of child labour until I attended the workshop organised by the International Services Association,” said Karuna Sridhar, a 10-year-old who was forced to work in the fields to support her family’s income.
