Awareness program in Child rights

Once a famous writer, Marian Wright Edelman rightly said, “If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much”. Thus, with this vision in mind, Don Bosco Tech, Panjim organized an awareness program in Child rights on the 21st December 2009 at the Don Bosco Institute, Panjim.

This program was aimed at creating awareness on the rights of children and the various forms of abuses that they may face. Also, information on Aids and HIV was imparted to all the participants present. There were about forty one youth mainly from the Chimbel locality who attended the program. This initiative helped the youth to understand the rights of the children with regard to their Survival, Protection, Development, Education, and Expression. The resource person, Mr. Asish Naguakar from Children’s Rights, Goa spoke on the Right to Information, Nutrition and the Right to Health and Protection from abuse, exploitation and neglect. He stated every child had a right to lead a well protected and secured life away from neglect.

The speaker enlightened the students by showing different posters related to abuse, and also highlighted that Goa being a tourist destination is prone to many forms of abuses. He pointed out that many such cases have been reported and he explained how children become vulnerable to abuses through different circumstances. Mr. Asish informed that almost all countries had ratified the convention on the rights of the children on 11th December, 1992.
 
A film “Nipping the Bud” was screened which depicted the various forms of exploitation children face due to the ill effects of tourism industry. The movie was well appreciated by the youth relating it to the current scenario in Goa. A feed back form was circulated after the talk which also helped the students express freely their ideas on the rights of the Child.