PLANS AHEAD
Having achieved today one of its long cherished dream of launching the
child line in the city, the Forum looks forward to taking up one by one the activities that will go to make a marked difference
in the lives of children, especially the disadvantaged ones. Some of them are
the following:
1. To closely monitor the running of the CHILDLINE and child protection
cell so that it functions smoothly and efficiently.
2. Building up further the already established linkage with police and
collaborate with the Commissionerate in the task of training and sensitizing the police personnel on child rights.
3. To start and run a special contact booth for the street and run-away
children in the Vijayawada railway station in collaboration with the railway authorities.
4. To organize workshops on child rights for various sections of the society
like: a. hotel association members; b. teachers; c. various clubs in the society; d. auto technicians at Autonagar; etc.
5. To mediate with the Municipal Corporation so that the plots promised
to voluntary organizations working with street children for setting up homes for them are allotted without any further delay.
6. To organize workshops to study ways of initiating collaboration with
the Juvenile Welfare Department, specifically with the Government Observation Home located in the city.
7. To initiate in the city schools programmes that promote the awareness
on child rights and sensitivity towards the deprived children so that they would gradually become active participants in the
programmes for such children - a child to child approach.
8. To organize motivation and training programmes for teachers, especially
in Municipal Corporation's schools so that the children under their care get a better deal and thus help to reduce incidents
of drop-outs.
9. To initiate and support awareness programmes in slums in a phased manner
so that there result a hundred enrollment of children in schools and thereafter a hundred % retention.
10. To take up programmes such as awareness through media, street theater,
campaigns, etc. to eliminate child labour.
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A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO FORUM FOR CHILD RIGHTS
(CHILDLINE)
The Forum was initiated in August 1997 by the
then Mayor, Mr. T. Venkateswara Rao, as its President. The forum brings together Governmental and non governmental organizations
as well as individuals who are committed to the promotion of the rights of children and among them the most disadvantaged,
like the street and working-children. The Forum has taken up several initiatives benefiting the disadvantaged children in
the last three years, the more significant among them being the renovation and maintenance of the children’s ward of
the University General Hospital. Moreover, the Forum always intervenes to advocate
the rights of children under difficult circumstances, especially when they are abused or exploited by employers, bullies,
etc. The ultimate goal of the Forum, spelt out in its motto is to make Vijayawada
a “child friendly” city.
A
ten member House Committee of the Andhra Pradesh legislature, headed by Mr. G. Sayanna MLA was constituted on 15th July, 1998,
thanks to the intervention, on behalf of the Forum, made by one of the members, Mr. K. Subba Raju, the then MLA of Vijayawada
West in the Assembly on the plight of the street children in the main cities of the state.
The House Committee, accompanied by Mr. T. Venkateswara Rao, Mayor and President of the Forum, visited, on October
13, 1998, the member organisations within the city working for the cause of street children.
A State level street children's convention
was organised by the Forum last year from December 10 - 11, 1999. His Excellency
Dr. C. Rangarajan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh, inaugurated the convention.
With the arrival of Sri Sudheep Lakhtakia,
as Commissioner of Police, the Forum has taken a new turn. The Police are coming
forward, to play a vital role in making Vijayawada “child friendly.”
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As
an initial step in this line, more than 500 street children were invited to participate in the Republic Day Parade this year,
when some of the children also put up a ballet depicting their plight.
In the month of September, 2000 a two day training
programme for police officers on child rights was organized by the Commissioner in collaboration with the Forum. This is to be followed up by a Trainers' Training Workshop to constitute a Resource Team, including both
NGO team members and Police Officers. This team in turn will conduct further
training programmes for all the other police personnel in the city.
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