Let’s first understand who a child is.
A child is any individual under 18 years of age.
When children are born, they are not possessions of their progenitors or the state.
Their status is equal to that of adult human beings. Hence, they are entitled to social, cultural and economic rights.
These rights are special as they recognise the additional care and protection that children need.
So, along with the right to nutritious food, education and security, they have the freedom to freely share their opinions through any harmless medium.
All children can access these rights regardless of religion, colour, gender or economic background.
But it is the responsibility of every nation’s Government to ensure the same because these rights shape the citizens of tomorrow and the resulting ability of the nation to do well.
Child Rights Overview
UNESCO states the below-mentioned rights of a child:
• No discrimination: No child should be discriminated based on their socioeconomic background.
• Best interests of the child: A child’s guardians must make all decisions with the child as their priority. Governments must also keep a close watch on the guardians.
• Family guidance: Families and communities must guide children so they make effective use of their rights.
• Survival and Development: Every child (even those who are specially-abled) has the right to live and develop in the best possible way.
• Name, Nationality and Identity: Every child must be registered soon after their birth. They must be officially given a name that is recognised by the country’s Government. Children must also be rightfully granted their own identity with official records of their name, family relations and nationality.
• Contact with parents: A child must live under the care and guidance of both parents unless it harms the child. If the child and parents live in different countries, then Governments must allow them to travel to stay in contact.
• Rights to security and protection from kidnapping, labour, harmful drugs and abuse.
• Respect for children’s views.
• Right to health, water, food, environment, information, education, rest, play, culture, arts, privacy and a safe home.
Children who break the law have the right to receive legal help. They must be taken through therapy and given a fair chance to become good members of their communities. In any case, prison should be the last resort.
Child Rights in India
Child rights in India are similar to those mandated by UNESCO.
Right to Survival:
Right to be born and have access nutritious food, shelter, clothing, health care, safe drinking water, health, and a clean and safe environment.
Right to Development:
Right to education, play and relaxation; right to emotional, mental and physical development.
Right to Protection:
Right to be guarded from neglect, violence, harmful drugs, and physical and sexual abuse.
Right to Participation:
Right to information and to participate in any decision-making process that involves the child directly or indirectly. A child also has the freedom of expression, association and opinion.
There has been significant improvement in how a child is treated in India. Government schemes like the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act of 2012, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the Integrated Child Protection Scheme, Operation Smile, PM Poshan Abhiyaan (formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme) and many others are constantly at work to ensure healthy development of children in the nation.
In the past few decades, numerous non-profit entities have also risen to advocate child rights and fight against their exploitation. Thanks to support from the Indian Government and its responsible citizens, these NGOs have been successfully protecting millions of children in the country.
Child Rights and Akshaya Patra
Akshaya Patra is one of the most-respected NGOs dedicated to feeding and educating children from underprivileged families. It started as a small NGO for children in Bengaluru. But with consistent support from the Indian Government and its donors across the globe, it now supports other individuals in need like pregnant women, homeless mothers, nursing mothers and disaster victims from 65 locations in the country.
It supplied food and other necessities to affected families during the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years, it has also started programmes to directly impact the education of children from low-income backgrounds.
Below are some of the Foundation’s contributions to the field of nutrition and education:
Nutrition
Akshaya Patra provides mid-day meals in schools (and breakfast in some locations) under the Central Government’s PM Poshan Abhiyaan initiative. It recently achieved the milestone of feeding 2 million children in 22,367 Government and Government-aided schools daily.
The Mid-Day Meal Scheme also incentivises parents from low-income households to send their children to school. Once the children are in school, Akshaya Patra meals offer them macronutrients and micronutrients, which help them focus better on scholastic and non-scholastic learning.
Recently, the NGO for children signed an MoU with Nutrihub, the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) to level up the nutrition in the school meals by introducing millets in the menu. The initiative is already being piloted in schools of Bengaluru and Hyderabad after which it will be planned to be implemented across all the beneficiary schools of Akshaya Patra.
Education
Apart from school meals, Akshaya Patra also implements programmes that directly impact children's education—the Abhay Initiative, the Digital Education Programme and the AVSAR Scholarship Programme.
The Abhay Initiative
The Abhay Initiative was started in 2018 to uphold children's rights to education. It started with a pilot programme in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh where remedial classes were conducted for students from class 3 to 12.
Under this programme, children attend classes from Monday to Saturday, even during summer holidays. They learn academic lessons and participate in extracurricular activities. Teachers are recruited based on tests and then trained to teach the children.
The AVSAR Scholarship Programme
The AVSAR Scholarship Programme provides financial aid to deserving individuals post their secondary education. The initiative aims to help them make better career choices and reduce dropout rates.
The Digital Learning Programme
Many children from low socioeconomic backgrounds are unable to access the benefits of the latest revolution in education – digital learning.
Following are the ways digital learning can help these underprivileged students:
o It helps them learn from experts and access updated information
o It helps them access information whenever they want, proving helpful for children with varied learning speeds and abilities
o Visual presentation of concepts enhances the retention and recall of information
o With proper guidance, technology can boost self-directed learning skills and productivity in children. Children will learn to develop curiosity and utilise online resources to find answers.
Thus, Akshaya Patra collaborated with BYJU’s and NTT Limited to provide Android tablets to school children under the Digital Education programme. The aim is to promote competency-based learning and inclusiveness while contributing to the Government’s vision of Digital India.
Feed the hungry. Donate for children
Ensuring children can access their rights will not only drive their holistic development but will also build a strong foundation for a self-reliant India. The better the foundation, the stronger will its economy be in the future. And the faster we act, the sooner will the good days arrive.
So, let's not delay in contributing the minimum we can!
By donating to NGOs like Akshaya Patra, we will not only secure the dreams of underprivileged children but also build a stable future for generations to come.
Donate today!