A signature campaign that stresses for declaring all persons below 18 years as children and make necessary amendments to the existing law was held at Kadambur Hills. Organised by Service Unit for Development Activities in Rural (SUDAR), a Sathyamangalam-based NGO, and Vanmugil Company, Sathyamangalam Union chairman K.C.P. Elango inaugurated the campaign in the presence of SUDAR Director S.C. Natraj, Tamil Nadu Tribal People Association president Kadambur Ramasamy and teachers.
Mr. Natraj said United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defined persons upto the age of 18 years as children and declared various rights to them.
“India is one of the signatory among the total 190 countries. But many laws in the country define children as persons below 14 years and not 18 years,” he said.
Mr. Natraj said Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 and Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, still described child as less than 14 years.
Other Acts like Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, described child as less than 18 years.
Amendments
“Discrepancies in fixing the age limit to 14 years should be corrected as 18 years and amendments should be made,” he stressed. The signature campaign would be held in villages in the taluk for a week, he added.
