Child Friendly Villages to protect rights of kids

The Government has launched the Child Friendly Village Programme to achieve the millennium development goals to protect child rights.

The theme of the programme is to implement the Right to Education Act, 2009, stop child labour, prevent abuse and begging, malnutrition, reduce infant and child mortality and strengthen the community right from village level.

“Officials of the Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW) will conduct awareness programmes in Child Friendly Villages. An action plan will be drafted in the proposed villages and the staff of Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) along with other government agencies will implement the programme,” said ICPS State Joint Director E.V. Swarna Latha.

Spurt in offences

According to the recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS), the crime rate against children is 2.3 per cent in AP. However, the spurt in crime against them, particularly kidnap, sexual assault and harassment cases are worrying the officials.

“In just three years [from 2014 to 2016 as on date] about 628 cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 [i.e. minor rape or sexual harassment] were registered in the State. The figure on crime against children, particularly sexual assault cases, was disturbing,” the joint director said.

Under the Child Friendly Village Programme, the ICPS officials, in coordination with other departments’ staff and the local public representatives, will enlighten the villagers on female infanticide and foeticide, breastfeeding, supply of protected drinking water and nutritional diet, enrolment of children in schools and maintaining sanitation.

“It is a five-day exercise at the village level which was completed recently. The participants focussed on village mapping, preparing time-line analysis, maintaining sanitation in schools and anganwadi centres and discussing girl child issues. Later, they will develop an action plan to improve the status of children in villages,” said Krishna District WD&CW Project Director K. Krishna Kumari.