Poverty deterrents protecting child rights

Bhawanipatna: Despite protection guaranteed in the Constitution and several laws for child right and many child welfare schemes, not many have access to them, Supreme Court judge Altamas Kabir has said.

"It is due to lack of awareness among people and prevalence of poverty. Most of our children belong to families below poverty line and thus deprived of basic rights and their development is stalled," he said. They need special attention or they will grow up differently, he said adding in India one-third of the population is children.

Keeping this in view the National Legal Service Authority has declared this year as the child`s right year. Addressing a workshop on `protection of child rights and integrated child protection schemes` held here on saturday, Justice Kabir stressed on the right of protection, survival and development of child.

He said we should remember that the moment the child is born he is entitled to the basic human rights and grass root implementing personnel should develop pro-child attitude. There is a need for coordinated effort of government agencies and civil societies, he emphasised.

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who was the chief guest, said every child needs to be protected for which several child welfare measures have been launched by the state government.