We all should work united with the enforcement agency to stop child labour from the society,” said experts attending a State-level convention marking the World Day against Child labour here at the Jayadev Bhawan on Wednesday.
The Pratham Council for Vulnerable Children (PCVC) along with the Child Rights Network in Odisha with the help of Government agencies, other stakeholders and people of the State took a pledge at the meeting as a part of ‘Bhubaneswar Declaration’ to make the capital city child labour-free.
The declaration is a joint venture even of the PCVC and the Human Development Foundation (HDF), said the activists of PCVC. The aim of the event is to provide a platform where city people can come together to create a safe environment for children and discuss the issues of concern and plan the necessary steps to resolve them. It is a joint venture where Government and civil society would work together to achieve the goals, they added.
The participants discussed at length about provision of a safe environment for the children where their rights could be protected. Experts presented their views and suggestions on how to implement the project successfully in the capital city and to replicate the success model approach in other cities of the State.
Experts like former Justice M Papanna, UNDP State head Dr Ambika Prasad Nanda, renowned educationist Dr Dhanada Kanta_Mishra, cine actor Akash DasNayak, Anil Pradhan of Odisha RTE Forum, Umi Daniel of Aide et Action, OACRC convener Ranjan Mohanty discussed the issues and challenges relating to child rights violations and child labour.