Children know your rights project focuses on three children’s rights violation; child abuse, child marriage and child labor.These right violations have been identified as main obstacles for the target group to get access to schooling and education and hence be able to create their own life. The three right violations are all common in the area and are not addressed systematically, despite clear legal frameworks.

The project address the following needs:

  • Creating awareness among children, parents and moral duty bearers.
  • Develop the capacity and knowledge about laws and procedures, and  motivating  of children’s rights advocates like lawyers, right activists, NGOs/CSOs etc. and legal duty bearers like police, child welfare committee, social welfare officers etc.
  • Data and research: search for authentic statistics, data bases, updated information, training and guidance tools and monitoring tools on child laws and its practice.

The project prioritizes and focus on awareness, training and advocacy in relation to existing laws concerning children’s rights and facilitate cooperation among the duty bearer s and rights holders to work for realizing the child rights by fulfillment of obligations

 

Capacity building training

The primary target group is children between 5-21 years old from rural poor, marginalized and oppressed communities who are particularly vulnerable to child rights violations. The children often come from families belonging to the Scheduled Castes (Dalits) or Scheduled Tribes.

Approximately 2500 school children (60/40 boys/girls) across 10 schools and 200 children (70/30 boys/girls) from 10 villages (members of the children’s rights clubs), will be involved. Some of the children might be repeaters. The peereducators and children’s rights club members will be between 14 and 21 years old.

The secondary target group is 20 teachers (60/40 men/women) and 30 traditional leaders, religious leaders, community leaders, lawyers and leaders or representatives from CSOs/CBOs and 30 local rights activists that are directly involved as children’s rights ambassadors. A range of government line department officers from the district child rights protection society; child welfare committee; district social welfare department and police department are directly involved through participation in activities and events arranged by the beneficiaries.

The families and other villagers, including children; the pupils and the staff members (teachers + non-teaching staff) at the schools who will be involved through awareness activities.

Objective 1:

Children from 10 schools and 10 children’s rights clubs have increased knowledge about their rights and are empowered to advocate for themselves

  • 10 schools have been involved in the children’s rights awareness program
  • Children from 10 schools have participated in competitions focusing on children’s rights at their school, at taluk level and at district level
  • 30 students have been trained as peer-educators
  • 10 children’s rights clubs have been established at village level with at least 20 members in each
  • The children’s rights clubs have a democratically elected leadership and are meeting fortnightly
  • The peer educators have held workshops in each of the 10 children’s rights clubs
  • The children’s rights clubs have arranged awareness raising activities at village level

Objective 2:

Children’s rights ambassadors and stakeholders have improved knowledge about the legal aspect of children’s rights; the current state of children’s rights in Villupuram district; and their legal responsibility.

  • Sixty teachers has been trained as children’s rights ambassadors
  • Thirty traditional leaders, religious leaders, community leaders, lawyers and leaders or representatives from CSOs/CBOs and 30 local rights activists have been trained and appointed children’s rights ambassadors
  • The children’s rights ambassadors have been introduced to the beneficiaries
  • Government line department officers have been identified and linked to the project

Objective 3:

Child friendly environments have been created in schools and villages, who have committed to put a particular focus on children’s right

  • Committees for child friendly villages (10) has been formed and the committee members have received training
  • Criteria for being a child friendly village have been developed and published
  • Action plans for how to become a child friendly village have been developed for each village (10)
  • Child Protection Policy has been developed and implemented at 10 schools
  • Management, staff and parents have got information about the policy through workshops and meetings