Protection of Children’s Rights

Mahiti Trust with support from UNICEF, Gujarat Office has implemented a project on ‘Protecting the Rights of the Children in Cotton Growing Areas of Gujarat’ in 113 villages of Bhavnagar and Vallabhipur blocks of Bhavnagar district in Gujarat. The main objectives of the project are:

• To establish and strengthen sustainable community level structures that ensure the children’s rights at the village, block and state level.
• To provide and strengthen quality education in Aaganwadi and Primary Schools for the children between the age of 6 to 14 years.
• To ensure that community take collective actions for protection of children’s rights and children’s development.
• To make linkages and provide necessary support for social protection schemes of the government to vulnerable families especially those whose children are out of school.

As part of the intervention, the following activities were undertaken in the project villages.

• Regular meetings and awareness campaigns to sensitize the community about the importance of RTE (Right to Education), the need to educate the children and the harmful effects of child labour.
• Strengthening of early childhood education (3-6) years and quality elementary education (6-14) years for all children with specific thrust on girls and excluded population groups through Aaganwadi Centers, formal schools or special training program (STP) classes.
• Formation and capacity building of Children’s Group and Child Protection Committee.
• Formation and capacity building of Adolescent Girls Group (AGG)
• Vulnerable families were identified and linked with various social protection schemes.
• Establishment of Village Information Center (VIC).
• Identification and capacity building of village volunteers for providing linkages to vulnerable families and protection of child rights at village level

The key achievements of the project for the period August 2013 to December 2013 are as below:

• 113 Child Protection Committees (CPCs) with a total membership of 1243 members formed and strengthened.
• 113 Children’s Group (CG’s) with a total membership of 2351 members formed and strengthened.
• 113 Adolescent Girls Groups with a total membership of 2201 formed and strengthened.
• 446 village volunteers identified and trained on child rights and child protection.
• 1613 “Out of School” Children and 152 “Vulnerable Families” provided benefits under various social protection schemes of the government.
• More than 770 “Out of School” children mainstreamed directly in primary school.
• 24 Special Training Program (STP) classes started for 279 “Out of School” children.
• More than 275 women and adolescent girls from vulnerable families received vocational training.