SOCIALLY RELEVANT PROJECT CHILD RIGHTS TRUST

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Our Socially Relevant Project took us to the Child Rights Trust (CRT), Bangalore. In these ten days, we have met seemingly ordinary people, doing extraordinary work under the most challenging of circumstances. It has been a great learning experience for us.

We would like to thank all the people who helped make this such a fruitful exercise for all of us. First of all, we would like to thank our institute SDM IMD for this wonderful opportunity. We would like to thank our project guide Prof. Malathi sriram for her constant guidance and support. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the entire team of CRT for the time each of them dedicated only for the sake of our learning. Their inputs were truly valuable. A special thanks to Mr. Vasudeva Sharma & Mr. Nagasimha for their extensive support. They were our guide at every step and gave us great insights despite their busy and eventful schedule. We would also like to thank the co operation and support extended by the people at other organizations and workshops. They were patient with our constant questions and were always more than willing to accommodate our doubts and clarifications. We believe that every individual we have interacted with, during the last ten days, is one with a mighty heart. We thank everyone for their willingness to contribute to our learning and for the inspiration they gave us by being who they are awesome human beings! Finally, we would like to thank each other. We had heated debates as well as interesting discussions. We have contributed to each others learning in our own ways.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As part of our Socially Relevant Project we had an opportunity to work with the Child Rights Trust from 7th to 18th march. The Child Rights Trust is an organization committed to Child Rights. As their mission states, they are making an effort to protect and promote all the inherent and indivisible rights of children, whoever and wherever they are. Being a part of CRT for these ten days, we witnessed a world which we have never been in touch with all these years. What we have learnt for the past few days are lessons which will remain with us for the rest of our lives not only from the managerial perspective, but from the perspective of life itself.

We started our journey with a little hesitation and resistance. We completed it having enriched ourselves. In one way or the other, each of us have been touched and inspired by the work done by CRT. CRT is involved in numerous activities and we had the privilege of being a part of a few of them during our ten day journey. During the course of the project, we split ourselves into smaller groups and tried to gather as much information as possible about the work done by them. Although CRT does not deal with children directly, they work for the cause of children through the various activities they carry out, like sensitization of people about child rights, election advocacy, collaborating with the government for development of plans of action, networking with other organizations etc. Their associations and activities are many. The commitment is only towards children having and exercising their rights. In the following pages we have attempted to give an insight into the world of CRT, the way we saw it.

What is an NGO? An NGO is a non-profit organization that works for the development of the people and society. NGOs are voluntary groups organized at the local, national or international level. These organizations either campaign or advocate sensitive issues, work on capacity building programs, concentrate on social research, or provide significant networking opportunities. NGOs are not directly involved in the structure of the government but at the same time they cannot work without the support or help from the government. NGOs bring up issues and concerns of the people to the government and policy makers. Donations are an NGO's lifeline because they are independent organizations. Funding can come from governments, the UN, private trusts and philanthropies, individual donations, religious institutions, and, in many cases, other NGOs. Types of Organizations Trusts: The public charitable trust is a possible form of not-for-profit entity in India. Typically, public charitable trusts can be established for a number of purposes, including the relief of poverty, education, medical relief, provision of facilities for recreation, and any other object of general public utility. Societies: Societies are membership organizations that may be registered for charitable purposes. Societies are usually managed by a governing council or a managing committee.

Sec. 25 Companies: A section 25 company is a company with limited liability that may be formed for "promoting commerce, art, science, religion, charity or any other useful object," provided that no profits, if any or other income derived through promoting the company's objects may be distributed in any form to its members.

Child Rights Children's rights are the perceived human rights of children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to the young, including their right to association with both biological parents, human identity as well as the basic needs for food, universal state-paid education, health care and criminal laws appropriate for the age and development of the child. A child is any human being below the age of eighteen years. History of child rights in India: The Indian Constitution has a framework within which ample provisions exist for the protection, development and welfare of children. There are a wide range of laws that guarantee children their rights and entitlements as provided in the Constitution and in the UN Convention. It was during the 50s decade that the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted by the UN General Assembly. This Declaration was accepted by the Government of India. As part of the various Five Year Plans, numerous programmes have been launched by the Government aimed at providing services to children in the areas of health, nutrition and education. In 1974, the Government of India adopted a National Policy for Children, declaring the nation's children as `supremely important assets'. This policy lays down recommendations for a comprehensive health programme, supplementary nutrition for mothers and children, nutrition education for mothers, free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14, non-formal preschool education,

promotion of physical education and recreational activities, special consideration for the children of weaker sections of the population like the scheduled castes and the schedule tribes, prevention of exploitation of children and special facilities for children with handicaps. The policy provided for a National Children's Board to act as a forum to plan, review and coordinate the various services directed toward children. The Board was first set up in 1974. The Department of Women and Child Development was set up in the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 1985. The Department, besides ICDS, implements several other programmes, undertakes advocacy and inter-sectoral monitoring catering to the needs of women and children. In pursuance of this, the Department formulated a National Plan of Action for Children in 1992. The Government of India ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 12 November 1992. By ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Government is obligated "to review National and State legislation and bring it in line with provisions of the Convention". The Convention revalidates the rights guaranteed to children by the Constitution of India, and is, therefore, a powerful weapon to combat forces that deny these rights. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has the nodal responsibility of coordinating the implementation of the Convention. Since subjects covered under the Articles of the Convention fall within the purview of various departments/ ministries of the Government, the Inter-Ministerial Committee set up in the Ministry with representatives from the concerned sections monitor the implementation of the Convention.

Milestones in the Development of Child Rights y 1914-1918: First World War y 1919: Save the Children fund i.e. for the children affected by the war. y 1923: Declaration of the Rights of the Child drafted by Eglantyne Jebb and her sister Dorothy Buxton in London y 1924: League of Nations concedes to Child Rights y 1948: Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) y 1959: Acceptance of Rights of the Child. y 1978: Poland demands for creation of Child Rights in the background of past and present situations of children. y 1979: International Childrens Year. Committee on Child Rights starts functioning. y 1989: United Nations adopts Convention on the Rights of the Child CRC y 1990: CRC becomes an International Law y 1992: India signs and accepts CRC

Four Indivisible Rights of a Child 1. Right to Life: These rights seek to ensure that children have nutritious food, safe drinking water, a secure home & access to health facilities. 2. Right to Protection: These rights seek to ensure that no one takes advantage of children and that their minds and bodies are protected. 3. Right to Development: These rights seek to ensure that children have a right to study, to play with whoever they want, practice their own religion and culture. 4. Right to Participate: These rights seek to ensure that children are allowed to express their opinion and feelings.

Child Rights Trust (CRT) Child Rights Trust is a public charitable organization which works for and with children, without distinction of religion, caste, creed, gender or social status. It was incorporated in the year 2002. It is registered under 12(A) and 80 G of the IT Act India (Granting Income tax exemption). The scope of CRT activities is all over India, with special focus on the South. Vision of CRT Every Right for Every Child Mission of CRT: To endeavour, to protect and promote all the inherent and indivisible rights of children, whoever and wherever they are. About CRT: Child Rights Trust (CRT) is a resource centre on child rights issues. The trust reaches out to children, Government, NGOs, media, academic institutions, peoples representatives and international organizations in India since 2002 through trainings, consultations, research, advocacy, lobbying, publications and direct interventions. Mr. Vasudeva Sharma, Executive Director, CRT, one of the co-founder of CRT, has an MSW from Bangalore University 1989 In 1996, he came upon an idea of having consultation and resource building for the cause and started CRT along with Dr. Padmini, Mr. Anselm Rosario, Mr. G Nagasimha, and Mr. M. Ramaswamy in 2002. He has worked as a consultant to UNICEF and Government of Karnataka, and has coordinated the development of SPACState Plan of Action for Children (2003) and State Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking of Women and Children (2005). As a member (2004-07) and currently Chairperson of CWCChild Welfare Committee Bangalore Urban, he has worked for effective implementation of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act 2000/2006. Mr.Vasudeva Sharma has the distinction of working with both NGOs and Government departments as a consultant, trainer as well as an advisor. Earlier he has worked with Ashoka Innovators for the Public and CRY-Child Rights and You in the capacity of a Regional Manager. A Core Team

member of CACL-Campaign Against Child Labour, Mr.Vasudeva Sharma has taken a lead role in several campaigns including Right to Education, Juvenile Justice, Anti trafficking, and others. Presently with CRT he is involved in developing Alternative report on CRC implementation. CRT has recently launched a new programme Karnataka Child Rights Observatory. The idea of conducting Child Rights Special Grama Sabhas by Village Panchayats formulated by Mr. Sharma as part of CRT has been adopted by the RDPR-Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department of Government of Karnataka. He also developed the concept of wFCP wRITE For Child Protection a stamp free letter to complain any child rights violation to the Child Welfare Committee (Post Box No. 5555, GPO, Bangalore 1) in collaboration with Indian Postal Department, KSCCW, DWCD and NGOs.

Recognising his contributions in the field of upholding child rights and advocating for the cause of children the Karnataka State Government has conferred on him Child Welfare State Award on the occasion of Childrens Day in the year 2004. Dr. R. Padmini is the Managing Trustee of the Child Rights Trust [CRT] and has experience of working with UNICEF for about 20 years in various capacities. Currently, after retiring from UNICEF, she has been involved in child rights training, advocacy and monitoring in India and abroad. She has expertise in terms of analyzing the policies, coordinating state plans of action and has contributed in the national plan of action for child. She has led the training team in several district level CRC sensitizing and planning programmes. Dr. Padmini is one of the key members of IACR - India Alliance for Child Rights, of which CRT is the Southern Chapter. In UNICEF, Dr. Padmini's assignments as Planning Officer in India, as head of the office in Ethiopia and finally as section chief successively of a geographical section and the Urban and Protection sections in the UNICEF headquarters in New York have given her wide experience. She was also Coordinator of the inter-sectoral sections in UNICEF New York [Urban, Protection, Environment, Women in Development, Project Support Communication and Water and Sanitation]. As the focal point for Child Rights in the Programme Division, Dr. Padmini became passionately involved in CRC advocacy, training, implementation and monitoring activities. She has wide experience in planning, research, monitoring and evaluation due to her various assignments. While in the University of Illinois, where she has graduated with a Ph.D. in Sociology, she worked at its Survey Research Laboratory. The year previous to that, she supervised a research project on the social aspects of cooperatives for ICSSR and the University of Poona, where she obtained her M.A. in sociology. This was after a ten year period with Hindustan Lever mainly in the Marketing Research Department. Dr. Padmini's first job was as a University teacher of English, some months after her basic degree [B.A.(Hons.)] in English Literature from Mysore University. Dr. Padmini has contributed to several books and documents both for UNICEF and others on child rights, child development, the situation of children in both India and Ethiopia; board

documents the Karnataka Human Development Report, etc. Recently she edited a report of an action research project on children under three. It was a conscious decision to start the organization as a trust. CRT was registered under Section 12A, Sec 80G Which gives contributor tax emption upto 50% to the contributors, Sec 80GGA, 35 AC which gives 100% Tax exemption. It is also registered under Foreign Contribution Registration Authority. It receives funds from EveryChild, UNICEF, FCW an US based organization to name a few. Stakeholders: There are a total of 14 people working in the organization. Two of them work in Hospet, Bellary District. The trust consists of: Dr. Padmini Mr. Anselm Rosario Mr. Vasudeva Sharma (Executive Director) Mr. Nagasimha G. Rao (Associate Director Training & Advocacy) Mr. M Ramaswamy (Sponsorer) CRT doesnt have the concept of percentage stakes held by members. But, the above mentioned members are the main stakeholders to name a few. Apart from its own projects and activities, in 2008, CRT initiated the idea of a consortium of civil society organisations, focusing on child rights in the state, to be a Child Rights Watch in the state. The Karnataka Child Rights Observatory [KCRO] was launched in August 2008. Its objective is to document Childrens Rights status and progress in the state. It is an omnibus project with a number of sub-projects that together converge to provide the data, analysis, publicity and pressure (as needed) for both Government and Civil Society to act in the best interests of the Child. It is following and documenting the progress of child rights realisation in the state over time; the collaborating organisations will use the findings and materials to strengthen their advocacy and actions. CRT was nominated as the Secretariat for this venture; an advisory committee to guide and oversee the Observatorys work was also created soon after the launch. KCROs projects have absorbed a great deal of CRT time and focus. Aims of CRT y To achieve and to consolidate the rightful position of children in general to the benefits and services to which they are entitled as children, and to a healthy and safe environment which is their due as human beings. y To endeavor to protect, maintain and develop childrens inherent right to peaceful existence and quality of life to which they are entitled. y To sensitize civil society and the authorities on child rights. y To carry out statistical research and research in social sciences relevant to children and their families.

To secure the effective use of the legal process to remedy childrens grievances.

Major Activities of CRT One of the major activities of CRT is to provide capacity building through training and workshops for the practitioners of child rights. In the year 2008-09 we have conducted several workshops and training courses, in all the projects [as mentioned above] and also through various other channels, for e.g., for various departments of Govt. (Department of Women and Child Development, Rural Development Panchayat Raj, Police Dept.), NGOs, Volunteers, Students, Teachers, Grama Panchayat members
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Education and Awareness on Child Rights Consultations and workshops on key child rights themes Representation at UN Meetings, as part of the Indian Alliance for Child Rights team Networking with child rights and child development organizations in India Collaboration with the State Government for the development of State Plan of Action for children and to combat trafficking of women and children Pre and Post Election Advocacy on the inclusion of child rights in all party manifestos Question Hour Analysis i.e. the analysis of questions raised by elected representatives in the legislative assembly and council Budget Analysis analysis of the state budgetary allocations for childrens education and health, from the child rights perspective, Child Friendly Gram Panchayats to sensitize and empower the Gram Panchayats on child rights and to help them in their efforts to enable children realize these rights ChildLine - CRT has been given the responsibility to coordinate the ChildLine (Toll free Child Helpline Telephone no. 1098) activities in Bangalore as a City Nodal, by the ChildLine India Foundation a project under Ministry of Women and Children, GOI. It coordinates the activities of the two Childline organizations i.e. APSA and BOSCO which are involved in rescuing children. Karnataka Child Rights Observatory (KCRO) Resource Centre

Administration and Funding Child Rights Trust was established in July 2002 under the Indian Public Trust Act. The organization is exempted under 80G and 12A category of Income Tax Act. The organization has three Trustees namely Dr. Anslem Rozzario,Dr. Padmini and Mr. Vasudev Sharma who is also the Director of the Trust. Major decisions regarding the operations and funds of the trust are decided upon by the Trustees in their quarterly meetings. The Associate Directors Mr. Satish and Nagasimha G. Rao work with Mr. Vasudev Sharma. Mr. Satish is in charge of research division, all the data collection and the analysis department and Mr. Nagsimha G Rao is involved with the Training and workshop divisions, networking. He is also the media co-ordinator for CRT. CRT consists of 14 full time members and 3 part Time volunteers at present. The members have individual responsibilities assigned to them. While one person is in-charge of the accounts and general

administration, another member is involved with nodal operations of Child Line. However the members assist each other according to their time. At CRT weekly meetings are held on every Thursday to discuss about every members contribution during the week. In the meetings the future plan of action for the following week is also mentioned by every member. Each one decides the work he/she feels they can do for the following week; this is an effective method of work allocation. If the members could not achieve their target in the week, they provide reasons for the same. The reasons are analyzed as a group and solutions are also formulated. For certain major plans, deadlines are decided collaboratively. While the deadlines are decided the consensus of the concerned employees are also taken. In certain occasions when an assigned task cannot be handled by the respective member, they request for assistance and the others volunteer to assist. The organization has a very participative culture because of which the members work as a single Team. CRT is funded by various organizations for respective projects. The major funding agencies are UNICEF, Everychild, VKK (Vidyaranya Kannada Kuta) etc. According to the project, funds are allocated to CRT. The expenses include travel, salary and other material costs. These accounts are maintained at CRT on a project specific basis. CRT also generates funds through training programs and services like data analysis. The organization also publishes Books and reports which are sold at cost. The organization also generates funds from donations from local people. The funds may not be available throughout the year. Hence they follow a quarterly fund allocation system. However, on certain occasions they also follow the annual allocation system. The funds may be available to them in advance or it is reimbursed after completion of the project. The organization mainly uses Tally to maintain its accounts. The general administration and accounts are handled by one person. The annual expense for the organization is about Rs 3-4 lakhs. NETWORKING WITH EXPERTS AND NGOS The mobilisation and greater involvement of NGOs in programmes for the development of children and women has increased the potential to accelerate the development process in achieving the national goals for children, as outlined in the National Plan of Action. Accordingly, their involvement in dissemination of information of children's rights as well as in preparation of the Country Report was considered vital by the Government. In order to facilitate an open consultative process, a three day National Consultation Workshop was held in Delhi during December 1994 on CRC. India's first country report drawing extensively from these discussions was enriched with constructive suggestions given by the experts for full implementation of the Rights of the Child. Subsequently, eleven state level workshops were held around the country at Jaipur, Calcutta, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Jabalpur, Patna, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar and

Chandigarh in the course of 1994 to disseminate the provisions and to give an opportunity to the states to highlight their issues and make suggestions. Most of the rights detailed in the Convention are guaranteed in the Constitution of India. Since 1950, these rights have been expanded through the process of judicial interpretation and review. The ratification of the Convention has made efforts more coordinated and sustained. The priority areas of action identified in each section of the country report present a long and serious agenda for government, its departments, NGOs and society in general. The Convention has added legal and moral dimensions to child's rights and the obligation to fulfill childrens basic needs. Rights can be declared, policies can be formulated, but unless the life of the child in the family and community gets improved all efforts may be meaningless. There is a need to raise awareness and create an ethos of respecting the rights of the child in Indian society. We need to empower the younger generation to assert their basic rights in order to realize their full potential. Indias next CRC Report is to be submitted by 10 July, 2008. This will be the combined Third & Fourth Periodic report. The government has formed a High-Level Committee for preparing the CRC Periodic Report. This has representatives from Central Govt. Ministries, including Ministry of External Affairs, State Governments and NGOs. UNICEF is also a member of this Committee. Ensuring that child rights are met for every child is a daunting challenge for India but also a testimony to the Governments commitment to the cause of children. CRT PUBLICATIONS: CRTs publications and other advocacy/training materials continue to be in demand. So far we were not able to make any major effort to translate the Kannada materials into English and some Indian languages, due to lack of funds. Thanks to a new funding by FCW at the end of last year, we have been able to launch this project. The FCW funding is composed of donations that were specifically given for CRT's work through FCW during the AKKA [Association of Kannada Kootas in America] conference in 2008 plus additional funds from FCW's own general funds. This project is for two years for a sum total of $6,000.

Has its own publication house called CRT publications. It publishes books on child rights., annual reports on child issues and its development. Mr. Vasudev Sharma has his own publication called samvahana publications . Mr. nagasimha G Rao is writing a book called Neeliyahakkimakkalahakkagalu. Its a story about 4 children who go in search of a Blue bird. On the way, they come across various child related issues like Child marriage, abuse,

exploitation, trafficking, adoption etc. in the end, the find four blue feathers of a bird and they return with optimism in their minds.

The Activities of CRT With the Legislature Legislators forum for child rights CRT, as part of one of its projects is involved in following up and monitoring child related issues rose in the Legislature. Mr.Vasudev Sharma with his CRT team is analyzing the State Budget and Question Hour of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on childrens issues and influencing the political parties to consider childrens issues in their party manifestos and implement the same. As part of the same project, CRT is an active partner at the KCRO (Karnataka Child Rights Observatory).CRT collects data regarding the child related questions raised in the Legislature and their respective answers given by ministers.These books and reports are published in English and m ore importantly in the local language-Kannada. This initiative was undertaken in the year 2005 and it started showing results in just a years time. In the year 2005, only 950 child related questions were raised; in the year 2006 about 4000 child related questions were raised in assembly. Legislators forum for child rights: In 2004, KCRO invented a concept of child friendly legislators. This title was given to legislators who raised the most number of questions related to child rights in the Assembly. This initiative saw a rise in questions in the Vidhan parishad. In 2008, the KCRO & CRT team thought of extending the idea into a forum of legislators commited to child rights. Hence the legislators forum for child rights was launched in 2008. It has a g roup of 8-9 child friendly legislators who are commited to child rights issues. CRT along with KCRO also created the child parliament where children drated their demands and that was presented in front of the legislators.In the last meeting of the forum th e legislators decided that there will be one compete seesion of the house devoted for child rights in the vidhan sabha! This is a milestone that has been achieved after the long struggle from CRT & KCROs end. UNIVERSAL BIRTH REGISTRATION: CRT along with PLAN india has undertaken a birth registration project which has been introduced in urban Karnataka for the first time. CRT is working on Universal birth registration with funds from PLAN. CRT undertakes a lot of training, consulting, networking, lobbying, advocacy. It conducts a lot of media workshops and has a radio programme on gnanavaani 106.4 f.m. called Makkalahakkugalamanthana (child rights analysis), also in Bangalore A.I.R. with Karnataka commission of protection of child rights. CRT worked with Indian labour organozation for 4 months, compiled 40 street plays in kannada which were translated in in English, Urdu, Marathi etc. these plays were also adopted in Pakistan for creating awareness about child rights.

CHILD IN NEWS : CRT is involved in the daily collection of Child related news and issues. Collected news is digitally documented. The collected news and issues are covered under five sections viz. Protection, Education, Exploitation, Health, Physically Challenged.
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Under the heading protection it reports issues regarding Children Trafficking, kidnapping, conditions in Anganwadis, Free food distribution in Govt. schools, safety measures to be taken by government. Under the heading education it reports information regarding various promotional schemes under taken by government, NGOs and various corporations. Under exploitation it reports information regarding harassment, Sexual exploitation of children, child labor. Under the heading health it reports information regarding government initiative for HIV infected children, malnourishment in children. Under the heading physically challenged it reports information regarding government, NGO initiation towards welfare of physical disabled children and so on

The organization also analyses the data collected and verifies its validity; post analysis, the information is disseminated to all network NGOs in Bangalore. At present CRT is sending this news letter to around 700 contacts. There are illustrations where these informations are used for presentations in promoting awareness. CRT also started a forum in December 2008 which encourages discussion of various child related matters. The forum had an initial strength of only 11 members. On December 11th, 2009 a three hour discussion was held completely on Child rights during the session of Vidhana Parishad and it was the first time in India that such a discussion was carried out. PRE ELECTION ADVOCACY: CRT is involved in Pre-Election Advocacy with the legislators. CRT being a part of the NGO network comprising of 150 NGOs all over Karnataka, collects all the demands related to Child Rights and consolidates a Demand Sheet. This Demand Sheet is submitted to the contesting Candidates and CRT lobbies to make these demands a part of the Candidates Election Manifesto. The organization in association with other NGOs organizes Child Parliament. This is a discussion which involves Children, NGOs and other people. Here, children are encouraged to perform Role Plays and voice out the issues and problems troubling them; this unique initiative helps gather primary information about problems the Child faces and which needs solution. Workshop on Anti Child Trafficking: A workshop was conducted by the Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD) for CDPOs, Anganwadi supervisors, Anganwadi workers and NGO workers on anti-child trafficking. CRT staff was the resource persons for the workshop held on July 22, 2010 at

Chikkaballapur. Content of the workshop: included Introduction to child rights, Status of children, Trafficking-meaning, causes and effects, Child trafficking, and the roles of the participants and various government departments in addressing the issue. Changes that can be addressed at the grassroots' level were also discussed. Calendar violates Juvenile Justice Act: Child Rights activists, NGOs and networks have strongly disapproved the content in a calendar brought out by the Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD). The calendar has made use of phrases like 'aparadhi' (criminal), 'vaishyavatike' (prostitutes) and displayed pictures of children affected with HIV and those in conflict with the law. According to the Juvenile Justice Act (Article 21), words like ' criminals' should not be used for children. Instead, 'children in conflict with the law' is the appropriate phrase. As per the Act, pictures of children in conflict with law should not be used. 'Commercial sex workers' is the appropriate phrase and not 'prostitutes'. Sensitive issues require sensitive usage of language and words and it is unfortunate that there is little awareness about it. CHILD RIGHTS WORKSHOP at Byrathi Bande Date: 4th July 2010 . A child rights workshop was conducted on Sunday, 4th July 2010 at Byrathi Bande, Bangalore for girl children. Around 82 children from classes 8 to 10 participated in the workshop. This was the first child rights workshop for the participants. Hence, we covered the entire spectrum of child rights starting from its history. The aim was to ensure that most of the workshop was activity based to keep the children engaged. The children responded very well and the interaction levels were very encouraging. The children were divided into 8 groups with each group having to present on one issue like Child Trafficking, Child Labour, Child Marriage, Discrimination, Child Begging, Corporal Punishment, Children and Government and Policy and Children. Children were very creative in their presentations and many expressed their views on the topic through skits/plays. They touched upon the impact of these issues, relevant policies and also provided solutions. The children appreciated the inputs provided on child rights. The girls especially liked the discussion on gender-based discrimination and found it enlightening

Makkala Grama Sabha: Objective: To reach out to the children in the villages through the village panchayats.

Background: We all know that villages in India are governed through Gram Panchayat. There are many NGOs operating in urban India. But there are very few NGOs which reach out to the rural areas which are home to more than 70% of the population of the country. At the same time, it is not possible for the NGOs to reach out to each and every village of the country. This requires resources which is lacking in the NGOs. Therefore, CRT has come up with the concept of Makkala Grama Sabha which is an integral part of the Grama Panchayat. The Grama Panchayat is held twice or thrice a year to look into the issues of the village/villagers. CRT plans to reach out to the children of the villages through this set-up. That is, they have initiated a Gram Panchayat to be held once a year, dedicated to childrens issues, called Makkala Grama Sabha. Process: CRT approached the State Government regarding the implementation of Makkala Grama Sabha in November 2006. They meet once a year to discuss the problems faced by the children. The good part of MGS is that it is an attempt to involve both children and elders in the same venue so that people can look to solve childrens problems by listening to them, personally. This is a very powerful tool to protect child rights and solve their problems. The State Government sent a circular about this to all the Zilla Panchayats(headed by Chief Executive Director) of the state who then forwarded it to the Taluk Panchayat(headed by Executive Director) and it finally reached the Grama Panchayat. The Secretary (an employee of the Government) is the person to whom the Grama Panchayat must report to about all the issues. The number of villages which implemented MGS in 2006 were not many but there was a positive approach towards this concept. According to the scheme, the preparation should start 15 days before. The Social Welfare Department, Police Department, etc should be informed and they must participate in this event. The secretary has to attend the program and he is responsible for preparing and sending the annual report. CRT is involved in training the NGOs working in the villages regarding the implementation of the MGS. Anganwadi teachers are also trained to take the MGS forward by interacting with the children. Through Right to Information (RTI) Act, CRT found out the extent of implementation of MGS from the Taluk Panchayats . CRT has studied around 60 Grama Panchayats. It has been found that wherever there was involvement of NGOs, the implementation was successful. Even in Grama Panchayats where the Secretaries were educated and concerned about the children, the implementation was found to be good. Recommendations:1. The Secretary or any member of the Grama Panchayat should be trained so that they would be able to improve the implementation of MGS. 2. The Secretary in-charge of the GP should himself come under the RTI Act. The Secretary can be asked directly instead of going through the Taluk Panchayat each time.

3. The Government should involve itself in following up with the GPs. Follow up involves lot of time and other resources which CRT would not be able to afford in the long term.

RECENT ACTIVITIES: CRT is working on making Bangalore a child friendly city along with Evangelical Social Action Forum (ESAF), Concern for Working Children (CWC) and Association for Promotion of Social Action (APSA). ESAF has undertaken a research to determine whether Bangalore is a child friendly city or not. From the research, it has been found out that it is Traffic, lack of Pavements, lack of open space for children to play, open manholes and other reasons that makes Bangalore one of the cities that is not child friendly. So CRT along with ESAF, CWC and APSA is approaching the government officials to undertake actions that are in the best interest of children. Some of the actions taken include
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Approaching Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure development (ABIDE) which is a Government of Karnataka initiative for developing parks and other Infrastructure for the citizens. Ms. Anitha Reddy, working for an NGO, is part of ABIDE and CRT is approaching her with a request to look into children aspects also while developing parks. In the total population of the city, 40% percent are children and recently there have been a lot of incidents of children falling into manholes and also getting electrocuted by unattended wires. So to counter this, CRT is approaching Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and submitting proposals to take action in this regard. Open space is fast reducing in Bangalore and as a result children are not able to play anywhere. Also if there is open space available, it is often occupied by boys and it is very rare that we find girls play in playgrounds. The reasons for this are many, parents usually do not let girl children play when guys are around. So CRT is approaching BBMP to setup parks that can accommodate both boys and girls and also set it up in such a way that it invites more girls into the park. Approach corporators to take action about open drains that run through in their wards. It is very dangerous especially during rainy season. So applications are being submitted on these aspects. Questions pertaining to child rights are being raised through Legislators Forum in Vidana Soudha. Vehicle Traffic is increasing everyday and it is becoming extremely dangerous for children to even cross a road. Since nobody uses subways as it is dangerous especially when it is not well lit and also as it is not well maintained, City Traffic police is being approached for posting Constables near schools so that they can monitor the traffic near schools and ensure children safety. Also, BBMP is being approached to install

skywalks near schools so that children can safely cross the streets. These skywalks will not only be useful to children but also adults.

FINANCIALS 2009-10

GRANTS AND DONATIONS

GRANTS AND DONATIONS PARTICULARS Grants Donation Rs.
3383056 716025 52982 91125 53457 19500 277500 400000
y

Resourse Person fee Travel Reimbursement Bank interest Translation Printing & Stationery (DWCD) CR Trainings and workshop

GRANTS AND DONATIONS

25%

45%
17%

1% 3%

6% 3%

Donation Resourse Person fee Travel Reimbursement Bank interest

y Expenditure

EXPENDITURE - Project supported by Project Supported by RS.

UNICEF CIF ARD CRT Flood Relief CR Trainings and workshop EveryChild FCW CIF VKK,CYSD

1473252.00 29206.00 38839.50 1268355.00 65279.00 8007.00 1498465.00 274895.00 108102.50 8726.00

EXPENDITU E - Project supported by

% 6% 0%

31%
31% 1% 1%

7%
0% 1%

Consultations CRTs consultation programmes include workshops related to workshops for Mobility India, Sama foundation, Gujarat Mao Nagar, World vision, AKAI, Sikram, Govt dept, etc. They

UNICEF A D Flood li f Ev ryChild CIF

CIF C T C Training and work hop FCW VKK,CYSD

have conducted seminars and talks for various child related causes across the country and among the rural states. Statistical Research: CRT is involved in conducting many surveys and reporting of the consolidated information to the Government at different levels, other NGOs, etc. CRT also collects secondary data from surveys conducted by various Government organizations; these are analyzed and the data is consolidated. Several development indicators regarding issues related to children are the factors that are considered for analysis. Both National Level and State level data is consolidated by the organization. However they mainly concentrate on state wise data. Statistical analysis is performed on the data and summarized reports are generated. For example, to know how much Makkala Grama Sabha (MGS) has affected the villages, a survey regarding the education levels before and after the implementation of MGS is obtained and analyzed. CRT has also analyzed the effectiveness of Makkala Grama Sabha and Bhagyalaxmi Scheme in North Karnataka. Extensive statistical research was done when CRT presented a report before the Planning Commission during the 11 th Five Year Plan. CRT also performs data analysis on secondary surveys for NGOs and organizations like UNICEF. The tool used to carry out statistical research is Microsoft Excel. The Development parameters used for the analysis include education level of children, child marriage, child births and deaths, Maternal Health, etc. The Data analysis yields information in terms of percentages and trends. These can be utilized to judge the current scenario and also advocate future course of action. This Information helps CRT as an organization to update them. Correlation and Regression is also performed on the data. These analysis techniques yield adequate information regarding various cause and effect parameters. For Example from a recent survey conducted by NLHS; correlation analysis showed that there is a Strong Correlation (0.78) between Institutional Delivery and Women who get married above 18years. The Data analysis yields trends prevalent in various states and districts; on the basis of refined information the standards of states can be compared. In the future, CRT plans to have a Resource Centre which would collect information that could be distributed and shared among different organizations. Network organizations: APSA (Association for Promoting Social Action) APSA is a one of the network organization working with CRT for the well fare of children. The other network organization includes Bosco, Saathi. APSA is a grassroots and childrights, urban development organisation with a focus on child centred community development in urban slums, street children, child labourers and other children in distress (child victims of prostitution, abandoned children, runaway children, etc.).

The organisation was started in 1981 by a group of youth with trade union and sociology backgrounds with a mission of empowering the underprivileged sections of the community especially in the slums of Hyderabad and Bangalore. APSA's work is directed towards (child) inhabitants in five slum areas and the street children of the city. The aim of APSA is to strengthen the target group's ability to solve their own problems and work together for joint issues. With over two decades of experience in development work, APSA is attempting systematic development of the young urban poor by integrating social paradigms of self-sufficiency at the family, community and individual level with campaigns and advocacy at the macro level APSA Projects Namma Mane (Our home): centre for street and working children. Namma Mane is a home and residential training centre for street and working children, and children in distress. Namma Mane is open 24 hours a day to provide immediate protection and shelter for children. Counselling, health and nutritional care, recreation and life skill training are provided to the children. The children are selected to come to Namma Mane after being identified by APSAs Child Labour or Street Children project teams, and spend at most a few years there, before being placed for jobs. Namma Mane does not want to be just a hostel for child labourers and street children, but tries to serve a larger purpose for educating children about their rights, and gives them the skills needed for improving their lives. APSA is making an effort to ensure that children continue to attend regular school. In this effort, APSA holds classes in Namma Mane for 7th and 10th standard dropouts to make sure they pass their board exams. Apart from teaching preparatory classes for the 7th and 10th standards, APSA offers vocational training. Within Namma Mane there is a highly professional tailoring along with screen-printing unit, a computer unit for photo essays, issue based documentaries, pamphlets, posters and an electronics unit where children learn how to build electronic devices. All units are linked to local industries to which APSA sells their products for profit Child Helpline: Since about one year now, APSA is operating a Child Helpline 24-hours toll-free hotline for children in distress. A collaborative agency of the Childline India Foundation, APSA provides emotional support as well as appropriate direct intervention for children who call 1098. APSA takes care of the East Bangalore section. APSA also runs a small hostel called Nava Jeevana Nilaya. Nava Jeevana Nilaya is a working womens hostel (> 18 years) for graduates of Namma Mane. Here they live during their first year of employment. They acquire skills to live independently, overcome their exploitative pasts and become protagonist of their futures. Recently, APSA has also adopted several Juvenile homes. Through this they secure better options for children in need of care and protection. APSA also provides inputs for improved laws and systems reforms, and capacity building for the staff of government childrens and observation homes.

Advocacy and Society involvement: APSA also tries to involve the broader community in the struggle for justice and equality for all. One of the projects APSA has is called Vikas. Vikas is a project meant to create further awareness on slum issues. APSA believes that a genuine and self-sustaining development of our society requires the participation of all its sections. Vikas is a serious attempt made by APSA to involve upper and middle class students from cities elite colleges, in the development activities of the poor. Finally, APSA is also a major advocacy and training organisation. APSAs trainees include the Bangalore city police and the Juvenile service bureau of the Karnataka State Government. TRAINING: CRT undertakes training sessions that are performed on demand or are voluntarily preformed. CRT performs training on Juvenile Justice Board. Child rights and conducts training on Child protection as well. The organization on many occasions is invited by NGOs or colleges to conduct training. The duration of Training programs range from one day to five days. The Training process includes interactive discussions and team games. The organization conducts training programs for Teachers, BEO (Back level Education Officers), NGOs, SHG (Self Help Groups) and members of Gram Panchayats. The organization has conducted training programs for Child Rights Club in 2003 as a part of Everychild campaign. The organization has conducted several programs in districts like Bijapur, Shivamoga, Dharward and Mangalore. The costs of training are shared by CRT and the inviting group. The food and accommodation costs are provided by the inviting group, however travelling and training expenses are incurred by CRT. If the training is requested by an NGO, the organization charges Rs2000 per day. The unique feature of the training procedure is follow up-which they carry out at regular intervals. This is important as the effectiveness of the training can be tracked.

Childline (1098) Childline is a Government of India project which is operational in 83 cities across India. It is a helpline dedicated for children in distress. The national toll free number is 1098 which is open 24X7. Child Line looks into medical intervention, restoration, repatriation as well as emotional counseling for children. In Karnataka, Child Line services are available in Bangalore, Mangalore and Gulbarga. CRT is the nodal agency which means that more than direct intervention they focus on sensitizing people about childrens issues and bringing awareness about the Child Line services.

APSA and BOSCO are the collaborative agencies which are involved in attending calls, rescuing children and in providing appropriate intervention. Childline gets around 2500 calls in a year. And the genuine calls have been attended to. Many children have been rescued and suitable intervention provided. Challenges faced by ChildLine as of now are rise in abusive calls, inadequate funds, shortage of manpower and lack of cooperation from allied system (Labor department, Police). PROBLEMS FACED BY CRT: Child Rights Trust, being a resource organization, conducts workshops for people who come forward to work in networks. Initially CRT conducted 2 days workshop and then certificates were issued to the candidates making them eligible to work in network. The candidates work in the network includes activities like conducting one day workshops among other activities. The candidates who obtained certificates after attending 2 day workshop stopped updating themselves thinking that they knew everything. CRT had taken upon themselves to update these people by calling them and updating through phone, sending mails to their IDs. But even then there was no improvement which can be supported by one instance where the candidate when conducting a seminar/workshop called CRT for updates. This happened when he was on stage. So CRT decided to conduct 3-day workshop which is called Trainer of Trainers (ToT). CRT carefully selected candidates for this workshop and not all volunteers in the network were included in this workshop. ToTs are conducted a minimum of 5-6 times a year and if there is need then it is conducted more no. of times. CRT also started to have 5-days and 13-days workshops. Unlike 2 & 3-days workshops, these two workshops had field visits. People who will be part of 5 & 13-days workshops are also given assignments such as conducting workshops in several locations. Selection of volunteers is done by conducting Pre-survey. In Pre-survey, information, such as how much of information he/she knows about child Rights, about candidates are collected and then the workshop is designed appropriately. After the workshop, Post-survey is conducted to know what the action plans of the volunteers are. There are separate workshops for children and Adults. Though the duration of workshops are the same, the activities that are conducted are more or less same. Group Discussions, PPTs are included in the workshops conducted for adults apart from Role plays, Games and lecture that are part of workshops conducted for both children and adults. The workshops are conducted across several cities in Karnataka in collaboration with NGOs in those cities. The expenditure on the workshops is shared by both the CRT and NGOs. Normally, not more than 30 people are included in the workshop. A minimum of `15000/- is required for conducting one-day workshop. And a minimum of `70000/- is required for other workshops depending on the no. of participants. Certificates are given to all the participants of the above mentioned workshops.

But the only problem is there is no concrete monitoring system i.e., CRT cannot monitor whether the volunteers update themselves regularly, whether the volunteer is working on the action plans specified by them in the Post-survey conducted by CRT.

From our limited interaction with CRT, we were able to see that as an organization, they face certain problems. The following are some of them: 1. Manpower: The organization has a shortage of work force. They mentioned they had planned to have around 19 members; however, currently their strength is around 14 full time members. CRT is a part of many activities and needs manpower to organize these activities. 2. Finances: CRT is funded by various organizations depending upon the projects, if a project is closed; respective funding reduces however CRT cannot close its activities. Hence on occasions the organization has shortage of Funds. The insufficiency of funds is one of the reasons CRT has not been able to expand its manpower. Funds have always been unpredictable. Although Unicef has agreed to provide funds till 2012, the organizations funds are not guaranteed. 3. Involvement of the Social workers: Today, it is considered that the leftovers join NGOs and it is in a way close to reality. This attitude of social workers has lowered the respect for the work they do and this results in lowering of the esteem of the other social workers. People who have a desire to serve the society would need to volunteer for Social work. 4. Criticism: These members of NGOs face criticism from their family/friends as this job does not financial benefit the person. This criticism lowers their morale. However they have to push themselves harder to realize their goals. 5. Against the system: The social work involves several situations where the members would work against the present governance system; which could result in arrests. This is another hindrance these institutions regularly face. 6. Existing System: The current system is also not supportive to the activities of NGO. The people of CRT narrated an incidence where police questioned the organizations efforts to rescue a child. The current system restricts the operations of such NGOs. 7. Not possible to plan long term: CRT is funded externally and hence there is no guarantee of future flow of funds. This leads to a situation where the future cannot be planned. CRT is fighting for the appropriate implementation of child rights, this sometimes leads to fire-fighting because of which the organization spends its resources to tackle current problems and future plans take a back seat. 8. Superstition with regard to child rights: There are superstitious beliefs amongst people that the concept of Child Rights is foreign and should not be implemented in India. There are other beliefs that the knowledge of Child Rights makes Child arrogant towards the parents. 9. Self Motivation : These people face discouragement and failures more often than not. Thus these people need to motivate themselves every time they fail and muster strength to fight against the system.

Our Learning: Our participation in the SRP opened up various worlds for us. There was an initial resistance and anxiety about how it may go. However, the environment at CRT and the work that gets accomplished, enthused us and we learnt so much more than we expected. Apart from our individual take-aways, we had many lessons we learnt as a group. The lessons were many. Team work, leadership, passion for work, time management and people management were some of the obvious lessons. We saw every person at the child rights trust, excited and passionate about the work they do. There is one of the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic men providing leadership in the organization. There is ownership of work by each person. And also, at every level, the CRT members displayed team work. Specific management Lessons 1. Work Allocation: The members decide upon the respective assignments on a weekly basis. The members together conduct a meeting weekly on every Thursday and discuss their prospective plans. The members discuss their contributions during the week and they themselves decide about their future plans. There is collaborative discussion wherein many people give in their inputs towards bringing about more productive activities. 2. Follow-Up: The CRT and other organization have a certain Follow-Up procedure. Once the organization has provided training or counseling to recipients, the organization conducts follow-up exercises to view the effectiveness of their training/counseling. 3. Project Based Accounting: CRT follows a project based accounting system. The different projects undertaken by CRT are funded by different organizations and CRT has restrictions on expenses. They have to submit accounts for the expenses incurred to the various funding agencies; hence every expense is categorized into various projects. 4. Motivation: The employee involved with CRT and other NGOs associated with CRT are driven by desire to help. There is an inner drive that pushes these people to serve the society. They are not just self motivated but also inspire others to join the fight. The employee or rather the members see it as their responsibility to fight against the wrong and work towards development of the society. 5. Networking: the strength of all the organizations is that they have developed a strong network amongst themselves. The members of the network support other NGOs in their activities and sometimes financially too. The individual organizations may have less reach however the network has major coverage. 6. Training Process: The Training process is very professional. The training content is very flexible as the duration of the Training varies with needs of the trainees. The training includes open discussions and trainee participation. The training also has effective system of follow-up, this enables organization to evaluate the effectiveness of the training process. This helps the organization improve upon its training process.

7. Action- No Blame!: Most of the organizations associated with CRT and CRT itself, approach all their problems with an attitude that is action oriented. It is easy to blame different people parents, teachers, society or the government, for the conditions of children, and not take any action for their betterment. These organizations dont look for someone else to place blame. They take the work upon themselves and urge others to take responsibility. 8. Consultation procedure and approach: The organization provides consultation to various other organizations including NGOs and government bodies. The consultation includes updating the members about the present scenario and highlighting the issue that has would need immediate action. 9. Marketing: Members of the organization have their personal network as well. Through these networks the members exchange the message and information. The process of Fund Rising can be equated to Friend Rising. The members spread messages amongst their friends. The organization also conducts formal workshops. The organization is also active on social networking sites like ORKUT and FACEBOOK. Suggestions 1. Increase Internet activity: CRT members mentioned they were not able to concentrate on Internet activities due to cost constraints and manpower shortage. The Internet is the largest network and as stated by one of the Associate Director of CRTAlmost 50 percent of funds come from outside India. Foreign fund agencies look at Website to review the activities carried out by the organizations and hence allocate funds; CRT could have lost sources of funds due the same reason. The investment into Internet Activity could cost a little however it has potential to yield funds in the Long run. 2. Formal Advertisement: CRT currently does not issue any formal advertisements. They Market themselves by the deeds and services they perform. The organization, to market itself formally goes to Schools, Takes part in exhibitions, observes Days (Like CRC Day on November 20th) and participates in activities of Rotary and Lion Clubs. Informally they try and spread awareness when ever and where ever possible. They move amongst common public spreading the message. We suggest CRT can use Formal advertisement and advertise to collect more funds. 3. Short Messaging Service: This facility has a very large reach. SMS packages are available and they are not expensive. At a personal level, the members spread the message amongst their friends circle. We suggest CRT could utilize this medium of Mass Communication to spread the message amongst people. 4. Official Forum: CRT currently on the Internet has communities in Orkut and Facebook, through which they communicate their message to the people. CRT is also part of SOLUTION EXCHANGE (web based portal wherein discussions and debates are organized on various topics). CRT has established a network with various other NGOs working for Child Rights and these organizations work collaboratively to realize their goals. As they work in a Network; we opine that an official forum (Web

Based) would benefit them very much. This could be implemented with existing members. However, it would require initial technical expertise which could be outsourced. 5. Database: As mentioned CRT works in a network and the members of the network work together to sort out various issues. We suggest a common database wherein the organization could upload all the information and reports. This could be made available to the public in a restricted fashion. As mentioned by Mr.Vasudeva Sharma certain information if accessed by Defaulters, could prove to be dangerous. Customized reports could be made available to authorized organizations and agencies only; appropriate costs could also be charged for the same. This would involve High Costs; hence the organization could take this project when they have sufficient funds. 6. Corporate Contact: The organization currently spreads awareness amongst the Parents, panchyats and NGOs through presentations and workshops. We suggest the organization could approach the corporate houses and sensitize them about childrens issues. The corporate world could assist the organization financially as well as provide them with sufficient manpower. The members of the organization have the presentation skills and adequate experience in giving presentations; they could utilize this skill and their contacts for networking. 7. Involve College students: The organization, as mentioned has shortage of funds as well as manpower. We suggest the organization could collaborate with colleges in the city for assistance. The students as part of their curriculum need to do some projects; the organization could provide such students an opportunity to do the projects. For example the engineering students need to perform a final term project, the organization can give project to these students; students could develop the organizations Website. Also the greatest way to reach these students is through social media these days, there are many enthusiastic people out there who can help CRT with documentation, writing research proposals and other work that can be outsourced. 8. Improve quality of MSW course: The social workers these days have to work on the quality of work and the efficiency with which they work. In order to create awareness and educate people it is very important that they are well equipped in language and presentation skills. 9. Volunteers & Certifications: CRT can have a network of MSW students or volunteers from any field to whom they can assign important jobs. One of the senior CRT staff can be assigned to lead and coordinate among them and these people can be paid stipends of 3000-4000. This is a better way to assign work instead of hiring new people and training them. Conclusion As a part of our socially relevant project, we worked with the Child Rights Trust for ten days. We not only learnt about the structure and administration of CRT but also learnt about childrens rights and the work that is going on to improve their current condition. We have been able to learn numerous management lessons. The work that is carried out

by CRT is vast. They also face certain problems. As management students, we have tried to give them our suggestions. We hope that CRT will find them useful. Our experience with this project was truly interesting and inspiring. We will carry the lessons learnt here with us for the rest of our lives.