Team Herald
PANJIM: As part of its ‘Making Democracy Work Campaign’ and to observe the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, GOACAN will launch a week-long initiative on November 14 with the focus on the responsibility of citizens in protecting the rights of children in Goa.
During the Child Rights Week, volunteers will examine the support available to children to highlight issues faced by them, the grievance redressal mechanism presently in place in Goa.
Among the issues that will be highlighted are pediatric diabetes, childhood overweight and obesity, deaths of children and grievous injuries due to road accidents, child sexual abuse, need for adequate, clean and safe toilets for children and the harmful effects of overuse and misuse of antibiotics.
“The volunteers will do an outreach to activate the Child Committees in panchayats and municipalities required to be constituted as per the Goa Children’s Act and encourage them to set up Bal Panchayats/Gram Sabhas as per the guidelines issued by the Directorate of Women and Child Development in January 2009. They will also highlight health related issues of children with the village health, sanitation and nutrition committees and fatal accidents and grievous injuries of children with the road safety and traffic management committees of the village panchayats,” co-ordinator Roland Martins said.
