Friday, November 25, 2011 AT 12:16 PM (IST)

 

PUNE: “In spite of all the laws and policies that we have come out with for the protection of children, the reality on the ground is that we have among the highest number of malnutrition cases, and the highest number of sexual abuse cases in India,” said Bharti Ali, co-director of HAQ Centre for Child Rights. She was speaking at an event held to release a report –Twenty Years of Child Rights Convention (CRC): A Balance Sheet — on Thursday. 

 

The report was released in the presence of Danuta Sacher, executive director of 'terre des hommes', Germany, and editors of various newspapers. It took stock of the changes in the socio economic scenario of the country since the adoption of the CRC by the UN General Body, and its subsequent ratification by many countries including India, which will complete 20 years of adopting CRC in 2012.

 

“The report has taken stock of the changed economic scenario of the country, globalisation and the influx of money, the progress made in the implementation of the CRC, and the challenges that still remain, as the priority and importance that our society and government gives our children,” said Sacher.

 

The report looks at the issue of children in relation to health and survival, education, child protection, crimes against children including exploitation and crimes by children.

 

Ali said that while studies and surveys have been conducted by various departments of the government, there was little coordination between them making the data compilation a tedious process. “In many cases, we have had to come to estimates of our own based on other related data,” she said, and added that the gaping inequality was the most shocking.

 

FACTFILE

– Child Sex Ratio fallen from 945 in 1991 to 914 in 2011

– Between 1992-2006, children with low birth weight has gone up by 17.7 per cent

– Disabled children: enrolment fell by 0.24 per cent between 2006-09

– Child labour up by 12.23 per cent between 1991 -2001.

– Crimes against children on the rise between 1994 and 2009; abandonment of children below 12 years up by 74 per cent; buying of girls for prostitution up by 700 per cent and foeticide up by 173.3 per cent.

– Over 300 per cent rise in rape, kidnapping, and abduction by children, and crimes of attempt to murder, counterfeiting, gambling by children  up by 200 per cent.

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/sakaaltimesbeta/20111125/4712096283438032402.htm