Deputy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad on Wednesday emphasised the need to infuse a sense of confidence in orphan, destitute and other vulnerable children to enable them to face the odds in a bold manner.
Addressing the Krishna District Children’s Parliament annual gathering, Mr. Buddha Prasad said a good number of laws envisaging protection of child rights existed but the need of the hour was to implement them effectively.
Referring to the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, he pointed to the fact that governments worldwide had promised all children the same rights. These rights described what a child needs to survive, grow, and live up to their potential in the world.
Mr. Buddha Prasad spoke against corporal punishment in schools and said teachers must desist from such monstrous practice.
Earlier, members of Children’s Parliament representing various panchayats, spoke about how their role as Parliament members had been helpful in solving several local problems in their villages. They said they were able to persuade parents of school dropouts to send their wards to school again, had taken up toilet problem in their schools, drinking water issue and leaking drains.
Responding to achievements of the young ‘Parliamentarians’, a visibly impressed Deputy-Speaker said in a lighter vein: “You kids seem to be doing a much better job than what we do in the Assembly.”
Krishna Zilla Parishad Chairperson Gadde Anuradha complimented the management of Navajeevan Bala Bhavan, a local NGO who is behind this novel concept of Children’s Parliament. “We have learnt about civic issues only after being elected as people’s representatives. But these children have a fairly good idea about problems the society confronts,” she said, heaping praise on the young participants. She said a comprehensive education policy could help children develop into rounded personalities and went on to explain how the State government schemes like Badi Pilustudi were aimed at raising the bar of education standards. Pamphlets on a child-friendly society and child-friendly smart villages besides a book Baalala ku bharosa were released on the occasion.Navajeevan Bala Bhavan executive director Fr. Bala Shoury, chairman of Child Welfare Committee, Krishna district B. Nagesh, Fr. John Raj of Childline, local corporator M. Venkateswara Rao and others were present.
