CUTS Centre for Consumer Action, Research & Training (CART) jointly with Save the Children-UK Jaipur, will organise a seminar on “Advocacy & Networking for Child Rights” in Jaipur on Thursday 3rd February 2005, to kick start the activities of ‘Hamara Manch’ (Our Forum) in the State of Rajasthan. Ms. Alka Kala, Principal Secretary of Dept. of Women & Child Development (DWCD), Govt. of Rajasthan will inaugurate the seminar on 3rd morning at 10.00 a.m.
Selected representatives from different stakeholder groups-Govt. Depts., inter-governmental organisations, donor agencies, NGOs, Children’s groups, will participate in the seminar. A group of 12 NGO leaders from USA, who are on a exchange and exposure visit to India, sponsored by Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) will also participate in the seminar exploring the possibility of enhancing institutional partnership at macro Level. Children and a socio-cultural group called Goonj will perform few of the cultural items, highlighting the plight of the children in the State
Background & Purpose
Hamara Manch is a forum for children to express their opinions on issues concerning their lives and environment initiated in September 2004 by Save the Children (UK) NCI office in Jaipur, looking into this process by bringing together different agencies working for children or any development issues on one platform to raise their voice collectively for child rights and adequate policy inputs for the best interest of children as stated in the Child Rights Convention. All SC partners in Rajasthan – CUTS, CECOEDECON, Urmul Jyoti, Urmul Setu, Urmul Trust, SDS and SARA, are members of Hamara Manch. This seminar is mainly aimed at establishing a linkage between ‘Hamara Manch’ and other stakeholders like Government Departments, Donor agencies and NGOs working on Child issues. Being the first seminar in a series of programmes planned under Hamara Manch in Rajasthan, the seminar will kick-start the activities of Hamara Manch in Rajasthan.
CUTS is having a long history of involvement in advocacy and networking on child issues, mainly at three levels-grassroots, State/National and at the international level. CUTS-CART is part of the committee to formulate Child Policy in the State from Feb. 2003. In addition, now CUTS-CART being part of the national and State level coalitions on MDGs (Millenium Development Goals), is contributing towards achieving the goals such as universal primary education, reducing child mortality etc., which is having a direct impact upon children, through different interventions.
Objectives
- To establish a network with different stakeholders working on child rights through interaction and information sharing (Children’s groups, NGOs, Donor Agencies, Govt. Departments etc.)
- To develop strategies to establish linkage between Children’s Groups and Government programmes.
- To advocate for implementation of ‘State Child Policy’ in Rajasthan.
- Enhancing advocacy and institutional partnership at macro Level
Output
- A platform to raise the voices for child rights and adequate policy inputs for the best interest of children as stated in the Child Rights Convention
- A network of organisations working on Child Rights