Fast Track Court judge S.L. Patil said on Wednesday that awareness was the key to prevent violation of children's rights.
He was speaking after inaugurating a workshop on Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, and children's rights organised by the District Legal Services Authority, Udupi Bar Association, and the District Education Resources Centre (DERC) here.
Mr. Patil said there might be various reasons for children working at a young age such as poverty, lack of education and others. But people should consider it as their duty to protect children's rights. It was the responsibility of every citizen to treat a child well. Children had the right to free education, Mr. Patil said.
Member of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Vasudeva Sharma said that the United Nations had adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child on November 20, 1989. India became a signatory to this convention in 1992. As a result, the country passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.
As per the covenant, children had the basic rights such as the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. Children now constituted 46 per cent of the population of the country. In some years, they would constitute 50 per cent of the population. Hence, people should have a clear knowledge about the rights of children, Mr. Sharma said.
