|
Related Article |
|
Guidelines soon to stem child abuse in conflict zones
Children
are the worst sufferers in Maoist-hit conflict zones with many
landing behind bars for being accomplices in civil strife or armed
conflict. Child rights body National Commission for Protection of
Child Rights (NCPCR) is drawing up a set of guidelines fo
» |
Kolkata:
Kolkata has more than 50,000 child labourers, out of which 80
percent are underage girls, says an NGO.
"Eighty percent of the 50,000 child labourers in the city are
underage girls. Their families often send them away to earn money
but it is seen that they are actually trafficked to other states,"
said Samapt Maity of the Jayaprakash Institute of Social Change, a
leading city-based NGO involved in social research, training and
advocacy campaigns.
Statistics reveal that of 12 million girls born in India, one
million do not live to see their first birthday and every sixth
girl child's death is due to gender discrimination.
Besides trafficking, child marriage and child sexual abuse is a
burning topic that needs to be addressed, according to sociologist
Ruchira Goswami.
"There are so many laws pertaining to marriage, child marriage and
harassment but they need to be put on a single platform. People
are aware of the laws but they do not follow them," she said.
Every member of the society needs to pitch in and do their bit to
collectively fight violence against women and the girl child, said
social workers at the seminar to commemorate 'SAARC Girl Child
Week' in the city.
"We can not do all the work by ourselves. Violence against women
and the girl child is rampant. We want every member of the society
to help us out in their own way," said Sanlaap executive director
Indrani Sinha.
According to social workers, one can't simply blame the police and
the government for not entirely solving problems regarding women
and children in West Bengal, a state ranking seventh when it comes
to child marriages.
"It is a collective effort. Each one of us has to contribute. Be
it police, the government or the people. We can't just blame the
authorities for not being able to solve the problem completely,"
said Sinha at the district-level seminar held as part of the
commemoration.
The seminar, "Girl Child - Their Vulnerability and Our Action",
brought together all the stakeholders of society -- the
administration, police, civil society organizations, common
people, students, academicians, celebrities and industry people
who are fighting for the cause.
"It has not been a fair deal for women. We need to change and work
against such gender discrimination. Empowerment of women should be
made priority," said Anurag Srivastava, additional district
magistrate (development), South 24 Parganas district.
|
Comments
|
Quick links