November 20, 2011, 1:15 pm
The 20th November marks the day on which the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989. The UN recommends that this day is observed internationally and is a day to be devoted to promoting the welfare of the children of the world.
The Hope Foundation, along with its partners in Kolkata, is pro-actively raising awareness on the subject of child rights and protection. Our ongoing advocacy work includes:
• Working with Kolkata police, who have provided HOPE with four rooms for education centres in police stations
• Hosting monthly awareness-talks in communities across Kolkata
• Children from HOPE-supported projects travel to Delhi to present their experiences of child labour to the central government and regularly perform dramas on the streets to raise awareness about the issues affecting them
• Anti-trafficking awareness groups are run on the Bangladeshi border for children to become more aware and protect themselves, and this leads to rescuing of abandoned children
• Participation in annual campaigns in line with international days of celebration, for example, street marches for anti-trafficking day and anti drugs day, kite flying for anti-child labour rallies across the city.
Each child has a right to shelter, a right to be safe, a right not to be hungry, a right not to hurt and a right to a childhood.
As Christmas approaches, pause and think about the poor and abandoned street children in Kolkata, many of whom are trapped in child labour, at risk of abuse and trafficking, and for whom each day is a fight for survival. These children need charities like HOPE to enable them secure their fundamental human rights, which is their pathway out of poverty.
Thank you to everyone who supported ‘One Day, One Bar, One Child’ the theme for our first ever national fundraising campaign with Butlers Chocolates.
