Ref: JU/CSP/2005-06/e-482 On the occasion of Childline India completing 10 years of service to Indias children, we the Childline partners are organizing a childrens meet in Goa on the 9th March, 06.
We have prepared a write-up on the Childline service which I am attaching below. We would be grateful if you could circulate the same to the Goanet readers and any other networks. Thanking you, Greg (For the Childline partners). CHILDLINE completes 10 years in the Service of Indias Children CHILDLINE is Indias first 24 hour toll-free phone emergency outreach service for children in need of care and protection, linking them to immediate and long term services for their care and rehabilitation. Notably, CHILDLINE is Indias first national level response to the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). CHILDLINE is completing 10 years in the service of children in need of care and protection - missing and abandoned children, ill & lonely children, beaten or abused children, children in need of shelter or guidance, children being bullied on the streets or denied their wages, and many other children in difficult circumstances, including children affected by the tsunami and other natural and man-made disasters. With the seed of CHILDLINE having being sown in Mumbai in June 1996, by Tata Institute of Social Sciences, the CHILDLINE tree has been growing and spreading under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment New Delhi, which introduced a unique partnership model between the Government and NGOs for implementation of the CHILDLINE service. This partnership model has further evolved to include State Governments, UNICEF, Academic Institutions, the corporate sector and NGOs, besides the Ministry of S. J. & E. As of December, 2005, CHILDLINE has been operational in 66 Cities/Districts spread across 21 States in India and has responded to over 7.5 million calls for assistance and has made a difference to the lives of hundreds of thousands of children across the country. The CHILDLINE journey over these years has crossed many milestones, and though extremely enriching, has also posed several challenges, reminding the Partners that they have a long way to go in realizing the vision of protecting the rights of children in need of care and protection. Lack of rehabilitative services for children with special needs, lack of adequate services for girl children, need for a national restoration strategy linking the Police, the Child Welfare Committees, NGOs and CHILDLINE connectivity to 1098 from private telecom service providers, free of cost publicity and awareness about CHILDLINE, still remain hurdles on the path. We in Goa, like our CHILDLINE partners elsewhere, have been striving hard to address these challenges. Presently we are four organisations: NES-CHILDLINE- Nodal, the Coordinating & Networking agency vested with Nirmala Education Society, Panaji, CHILDLINE Collaborative Organizations Don Bosco, Panaji & Jan Ugahi, Margao, the call centers and outreach service agencies for North and South Goa respectively and CHILDLINE Support Organisation at Vikalp Trust, Margao. It is a challenging task to form linkages with the Government Allied Systems, NGOs, Press, Community and the children themselves, for an effective emergency and long term care and rehabilitative service systems for children as well as cover the geographical length and breadth of Goa with such few partner organizations. Yet, despite the hurdles, every call to CHILDLINE motivates us to push harder to ensure that the voice of every child is heard by policy makers, funders, service providers and the community. We are confident that we are moving in the right direction and the strength and energy of the large and dynamic CHILDLINE network will surely get us there. Purpose of Goa State Level Childrens Meet - To provide children a platform to voice their issues and concerns. - To listen to children and to revive the whole process of child participation in CHILDLINE. - To uphold the spirit of listening to children and learning from each other. - To give importance to children's perspectives. - (For children) To participate in an enjoyable, meaningful and empowering event/meet. - To initiate the process of enabling children to be involved in the service more meaningfully and to ensure that this is sustained and taken forward. Theme: My Dream of an Ideal India On 9th March 2006, the Meet will be held at Don Bosco Multipurpose Hall, Panaji, Goa, from 10am to 5pm. Children will represent through skits/scenes, drawings, posters, slogans, their aspirations and demands for an ideal child friendly state/country, where they can realise their rights. They will then present these to the representatives of the State, Press, NGOs, at a valedictory function. The process of "My Dream of an Ideal India" will be consolidated and taken forward with child representatives and team members from all CHILDLINE Cities/Districts across India, gathering for the meet and presenting their dreams and demands for an Ideal India (for children) to the concerned authorities at the state and national levels.