By IANS
New Delhi : It is time that India makes children the focal point of every policy and plan made for the country, said an official of Child Relief and You (CRY) that works for child rights.
Exactly 15 years after India signed the United Nations Child Rights Convention (UNCRC), Ila D. Hukku, director, development support and youth and volunteer action of CRY, said that child rights is increasingly being pushed into isolation. Although the nation prides itself over a high economic growth, every year, when it comes to children, we fall short on every front, be it education, health or protection, he said addressing a press conference Tuesday.
“Why is that children are never in the purview of the policy makers? Do plans on urban planning or housing not affect children? It’s time that that the state starts concentrating on the children and keep their needs and voices in mind during policy making,” Hukku told IANS.
CRY now has a list of demands for the government.
“We demand that there should be an increase in government expenditure on education for children. Expenditure on education should be increased to 10 percent and health to five percent of the GDP.
“All children between the ages of six to 18 should, without discrimination, be in formal, full-time school which provide quality education,” Hukku said.
Besides this, CRY also demands that there should be redrafting of the free and compulsory education bill to remove sanctions on parents. Concerned governments should be penalised for failure to provide free and compulsory education to all.
“Also, there should be formulation and implementation of a comprehensive rights based policy on food security for all with legal safeguards, so that no child goes to bed hungry and no child is born underweight and undernourished,” Hukku added.