The Convention of the Rights of the Child is an international treaty that recognizes the human rights of children, defined as persons up to the age of 18 years. The convention establishes in International law, that state parties must ensure that all children, without discrimination in any form, benefit from special protection measures and assistance; have access to services such as education and health care; can develop their personalities, abilities and talents to the fullest potential;  grow up in an environment of happiness, love and understanding and are informed about and participates in , achieving their rights in an accessible and active manner.

          Information available on the internet says that more countries have ratified the convention of the Rights of the Child , than any other human rights treaty in history, India being one of them and the United States of America and Somalia , being the two countries, who haven’t, for totally different reasons, of course. Somalia has not been able to ratify it, because it has no recognized Government. The reasons for U.S.A not having ratified it is reportedly because they have an extensive process of scrutiny of treaties, which includes an evaluation of the degree of compliance with the existing law and practice in the country, at the state and federal level. They are also said to have a practice of considering only one Human Rights treaty at a time. Currently, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women is cited as the nation’s top priority among human rights treaties.

       The convention is supposed to have inspired a process of national implementation and social change in all regions of the world including:

·        Incorporating human rights principles into legislation;

·        Establishing interdepartmental and multidisciplinary bodies

·        Developing national agendas for children

·        Widening partnerships for children

·        Promoting ombudspersons for children or commissioners for children’s rights

·        Assessing the impact of measures on children

·        Restructuring of budgetary allocations

·        Targeting child survival and development

·        Implementing the principle of non- discrimination Listening to the children’s voices and

·        Developing justice systems for children

         There is another convention which was adopted by the International Labour Organisation in 1999 , as I.L.O convention No.182, which is “The convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour”. By ratifying this Convention, a country commits itself to taking immediate action to prohibit and eliminate the worst forms of child labour. The convention is reportedly enjoying the fastest pace of ratifications in the ILO’s history since 1919.

      All of the above sound very reassuring and should point in the direction that Children have finally arrived on the global consciousness and yet facts and figures available on all the indices laid down to define the worst forms of child labour tell a different story.

      In India, the Child Labour (Prohibiton and Regulation) Act, 1986, is in force. On 10^th October, 2006, a nation-wide ban on children below 14 years being engaged as domestic help , was put into effect.

     Has it changed things? Well, there is a report in the T.O.I today that paints a picture , quite to the contrary. The report says that in response to an RTI application by the NGO, “Bachpan Bachao Andolan”, the Labour Ministry found that only 127 inspections had been carried out till April, 2008, of which 26 children had been rescued and 12 employers procsecuted, without a single conviction. NGOs estimate that more than 20,000 children are working as labourers and domestic helps in the capital alone.

      Another news report in the same paper talks of arrests made in a child trafficking case, defined as one of the “worst” case of child labour , by the ILO. Five children, two girls and three boys, between the ages of 12 to 17 years, were rescued from Hazrat Nizamuddin  railway station. The children had allegedly been sold off to a trafficker by their guardians.

                                                                   To be contd........

P.S: the girl in the photograph is Pooja, who was operated upon for a heart problem , through the programme "Gift of Life" , of Rotary, about whom I had written earlier , in my post with the same title.

 This is the link :      http://nadirafromkannur.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/08/07/Gift-of-Life-1.html