Every child has the right to express his or her own views freely in all matters affecting children, declares the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) Article 12. Keen to ensure involvement of children in bringing child right issues in public, the Save the Children organised a State-level children’s interface with mainstream media here on Thursday.
Child rights leaders from 10 operational districts, Kandhamal, Koraput, Boudh, Nuapada, Puri, Kalahandi, Keonjhar, Subarnapur, Kendrapada and Khurda identified child right violation issues and raised voice of concern on behalf of the children deprived of their basic rights to survival, protection, participation and development. They expressed concern over the role of the media on child rights violation issues relating to health, education, child labour, child marriage, migration of children and such other related matters.
“Issues and incidents violating child rights are rampant across the State. But most of such incidents are not drawing the attention of the media. The objective of this event is to make children’s voice on their issues heard by the media and to address the issue properly,” said communication coordinator of Save the Children for Odisha and Bihar Shyamal Kishore Das.
Even media representatives agreed that the media need to be more attentive and sensitive to child rights issues.
Those present on the occasion included Save the Children State programme manager Sasanka Kumar Padhi and national communication manager Devendra Tak.
A Monitoring Report on child rights issues studied among 4,000 children in four districts, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Boudh and Puri was released on the occasion. The Save the Children also introduced the seven child leaders who are to represent the national level Children’s Alliance from Odisha. A part of Save the Children International, the Save the Children addresses child rights issues in more than 120 countries.