Skip to main content

What rights for five year old?

Recently I was visiting a friend in New Delhi and I was explaining to him about the purpose of my visit. The question he had asked me stumped me completely. He had asked “What rights can a five year old child can have?

I answered and agreed the bareness of the question but I wanted him to hear the spirit of my answer. I said that a five year old child may not/ need not have rights as his parents provide for him in every aspect of his life. But the number and quality of rights that the world enshrines on our children are for two purposes:

Awareness: To help parents and others understand that children do have rights and some are as simple as 'Child has the right to express'. What he expresses may not be acceptable and it is up to the parents to convince the child how it is not in his/ her best interest to pursue but it is important that they allow him/ her to express.

Deterrance: Only when we have rights that the violators can be held accountable. For example, if a child's rights to not be transferred out of his culture without his /her consent, it is under this violation that one can be held accountable.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What’s the difference between a ‘welfare based’ approach vs ‘rights based’ approach of child care?

Over the last 20 years, child care approach has evolved tremendously in India towards ‘rights based’ approach, thanks to the enactment of Juvenile and Justice Act (JJ Act).   If you’re running a child care institution and not following a rights based approach, you may be violating some of the fundamental rights and/ or fundamental principles of JJ act.
Post a Comment
Read more

Join the CWC - India network

CWC ( C hild Welfare Committee ) is a statutory body created by the act of Parliament of India under the JJ Act (Juvenile and Justice Act) to cater to the children that are in need and care and protection. CWC-India is an initiative to build a network of all the current and former CWC members to exchange information along with others (such as academicians, lawyers, child rights activists and social workers etc) that could contribute ‘information of value’ can join. CWC-India is a simple yahoo list serve and the sign up is self-explanatory. Simply type in your email address in the box below and click on "Yahoo Groups Join Now" purple box.  Then simply follow the instructions. I really hope you would join. Subscribe to CWC-India network
1 comment
Read more

Fundamental Principle of JJ Act: "Principle of Positive Measures"

There are 16 fundamental principles in the Juvenile & Justice Act (JJ Act).   Principle of Positive measures : All resources are to be mobilized including those of family and community, for promoting the well-being, facilitating development of identity and providing an inclusive and enabling environment, to reduce vulnerabilities of children and the need for intervention under this Act.
Post a Comment
Read more