UNICEF Applauds National Stamp Designs for Child Rights...

The Department of Posts, in association with UNICEF on the occasion of Children's Day in India (Nov 14) announced the winners of the 2019 Stamp Design Competition, whilst also commemorating thirty years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The top two winning entries have been adapted as stamps.

More than 14,000 children from across India participated with stamp designs in the annual competition run by the Department of Posts, this year in partnership with the Ministry of Communication, the Government of India and UNICEF. The theme for this year’s competition was child rights.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations on 20 November 1989, and is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. India ratified the CRC in 1992, committing to protect and promote all rights of children. In partnership with Government, civil society, communities and children across India, UNICEF is celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the CRC and 70 years in India working for the rights of every child. 

Speaking on this year’s stamp design competition, a senior official from the Department of Posts said, 

“Every year, the Department of Posts holds a Stamp Design Competition on Children’s Day inviting drawings, paintings and sketches from children on a particular theme. The theme of this year’s Children’s Day Stamp Design Competition was ‘Child Rights’.” 

On the partnership with UNICEF, the Department official continued, 

“The partnership with UNICEF this year has served twin objectives: on one hand, it is generating awareness about philately and on the other hand, it is creating awareness about child rights. Children have sent us excellent art work on what the CRC means for them. Today, children clearly identify new challenges facing them as well as available opportunities. Young people are speaking out for their right to education, demanding an end to discrimination, calling for end to violence, striking for action on the climate crisis, campaigning for digital reform and calling on leaders to protect their future.”

The winning entries – three winners and five consolation prices – will be awarded at a national event in New Delhi on 20 November 2019, World Children’s Day. While the top two designs on child rights are adapted as stamps, the remaining are used for preparing various philatelic items including first day cover, brochure etc. The 1st prize winner will win a cash prize of INR 50,000. The 2nd and 3rd prize winners will receive INR 25,000 and INR 10,000 respectively. The five consolation prizes are worth INR 5,000 each. 

Congratulating the winners and all children who participated, Foroogh Foyouzat, Deputy Representative for UNICEF in India said, 

“Indian children have brought the Convention on the Rights of the Child to life with their inspiring and beautiful stamp designs. Every child who participated is a winner in our shared responsibility to work tirelessly so that every child in India realizes all of his or her rights. In their entries, we can see girls and boys dreams for themselves and for all children. At a time when children and childhood itself are faced with new challenges in a rapidly changing world, these powerful images by children are a great reminder that we must all do more to put child rights at the heart of India now and for all future generations.” 

The following children have been declared as Winners:

First prize winner              :     Ms. Nidhi Rahul Mhatre (15), Boisar, Maharashtra

Second prize winner          :     Ms. Vibhushi Agarwal (12), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

Third prize winner            :      Ms. Deepali Midha (17), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

Consolation prize winners:      (i) Master Rupam Mahanty (10), Jamshedpur, Jharkhand

                                                 (ii) Ms. Vaidehi Vikas Shirsath (17), Bengaluru, Karnataka

                                                 (iii) Ms. Arya Thapa (14), Tadong, Sikkim

                                                 (iv) Master Sarvesh Suresh Joshi (07), Parbhani, Maharashtra

                                                 (v) Ms. Kratika Chittoriya (14), Nagra, Rajasthan

#FairStart for Every Child to Curb Persisting Inequities

What? 
#FairStart For Children

When?
Wednesday, May 25

Where?
UNICEF HQ, New Delhi

#FairStart for every child to curb persisting inequities is a great initiative taken by UNICEF India. The 'Fair Start' film unveiled by the organization as part of a social and social media campaign has drawn the main attention to a chronic disease of our society which is about inequities being faced by a large section of children in our country impacting their survival, development and growth severely. 

Children from various backgrounds participated in this impactful film that gives an insight into the lives of children who have tremendous potential but get fewer opportunities to grow up healthy and safe due to their environmental and societal issues. They have very less chances to attend school and to gain formal learning. They have higher chances of getting married as children.

Caroline Den Dulk, Chief Advocacy & Communication, UNICEF India stated that every child must get a fair chance in his/her life and deserves adequate nutrition, safety, protection, education, health care, and emotional growth. This campaign is focused on these purposes and it aims to draw attention to the lives of many children across the country who are deprived of these fundamental rights, often at times concluded simply based on where they are born. Every child in this country, and on this earth must get a fair and equal amount of opportunities  in life, irrespective of their ethnicity, gender, caste, region, or religion. Girls in India deserve an equal chance in life too, but on an average 2.22 million girls marry early every year in India, and 23% girls between 15-19 years of age experience physical or sexual violence.

The 'Fair Start' film has been produced with the participation of  group of children from various segments of life who brought their own real life stories to the film set. These kids played cast and crew themselves with the help of professionals in film, arts, and acting. The crew included Sahil, Cameraman who learned the art and tricks of shooting from some known professional. Sahil is just fourteen and wants to be a successful cricketer in his life. He studies in an English Medium School and helps his uncle in laundry work. He has his mother and a sister at home.  His father passed away 3 years back.

We also met Suraj, 10, Art Director, and Belinda, 13, Costume Designer.  Suraj has three sisters and two brothers. His mother is having a hard time selling corn. He prefers to help his mother at her work as and when he is able to. His father is an alcoholic and fights at home. Suraj has an ambition of becoming a scientist when he grows up. 

Belinda goes to a municipal school. Her brother Shawn is Cameraman/Director of this film. She works at home after school hours. She aspires to becomes an accounts executive when she grows up. Shawn, 15, has six siblings. His father left home many years back and mother is not keeping well for quite sometime. That made him to mature up fast and take the responsibility of his family. He decided to work and earn money for his home. He cleans gutters to make his earnings. He aspires to go to school as he is not able to due to his circumstances. He loves playing football. He is very helpful and caring by nature whereas his sister Belinda is shy in nature. 

The message of #FairStart is quite clear. Everyone has to share the responsibility in sharing the message, spreading it across communities and social media, doing whatever possible in this regard, and participate in the activity. It is not going to bring results in a short span as it involves a change in mindset and acceptability. Giving a chance to these kids brought out wonderful results from them at such a young age. The same holds true for all other children who are craving for a fair chance in life. 

To The Many Babli's In Our Country...

For years, there have been millions, who have been suffering the pain of defecating outside, in the open, midst all kind of germs and infections, feeling guilty, embarrassed, and ashamed, only over the reason of not having a proper toilet in their home, or in the society they are a part of.

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Over 70% of the Indian population, inhabit a rural environment, and even 50% of this number, live in the remotest of areas where there is not a single facility of toilets, leave aside neat and clean washrooms. Hygiene word is far away from their lives.

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Children in rural India, the moment they learn to walk, they also become accustomed to accompanying their brothers, sisters, parents and other family members, at the break of dawn, to a far - off place, in order to relieve themselves.

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And, during the course of the day, they have to suppress Nature's Call, and their desire of revisiting the area, just for the simple reason, that it is not feasible to cover such long distances, leaving all work aside.

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For girls, like Babli, who are in their pre-teens or teens, how shameful and fearful this situation might be, one can imagine very well. On top of that, the unhygienic conditions call for a bigger risk, of fiddling with their well-being, health and hygiene. 

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Who knows, because of such routine unhygienic activities, one might even risk their life! Why should even one life be at the brink of illness for such a minuscule issue of proper washrooms, and toilets for their routine chore? 

Imagine a girl, along with her mother and other ladies of the family, conspicuously leaving home, early in the morning, at the break of dawn, or even before that, to relieve herself. The situation itself spells danger. 

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At the time of defecating openly, all the ladies crouch around a single place, ruining their hygiene. While performing their routine chore, in the dark, one has to be even more alert!

All the excreta is washed off, making its way to the nearby water body. How can it ensure a proper, hygienic surrounding?

How can a country take so long, even post-independence to get rid of such pathetic conditions?

Why is it so difficult to protect the dignity of the females of this Country?

Why is it so difficult to ensure basic security for a human-being?

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A Community Toilet in the rural area, ensuring hygienic disposal of excreta, could at least be guaranteed. But it has never happened.

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Gradually, some villages tried to ensure a safer and healthier environment, by implementing an out-of-house, enclosed quarter, so that, the kids, and females of the village could use it for defecation. But, again, the hygiene is being compromised with.

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That is why the Domex Toilet Academy was initiated, with a mission of installing 24,000 toilets in areas where there is no such provision to help the Babli's of our Nation. 

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Let us all join hands in spreading the good word and contributing towards this noble cause. I thus request every reader to join the “You Click Domex Contributes” Initiative. This meaningful mission, begun exactly an year ago, in November 2013 to provide hygienic and healthy conditions for defecation to all Bablis of the nation. Here's how you can join in...

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You can bring about the change in the lives of millions of kids, thereby showing your support for the Domex Initiative. All you need to do is “click” on the “Contribute Tab” on www.domex.in and Domex will contribute Rs.5 on your behalf to eradicate open defecation, thereby helping kids like Babli live a dignified life.

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Delhi --- Rape Cancer Spreading Fast ---- Capital Turning into Mental Asylum ?

The reality remains the same as pointed out  here - Its spreading fast & how!

Do we deserve this??!! Daily, Pick up the newspaper & read all the bu##$@!t  !
Keep on turning pages and along with the rising mercury, my brain's temperature also keeps on rising.

      At times I feel how helpless the healthy minded people have become in front of these sick minded people who are increasing day by day and are hiding behind masks and therefore are difficult to detect.

       What's the problem of these filthy people? Why are they so obsessed with sex? Can't they see anything in life beyond this? Why are they targeting young innocent kids who are so unaware of all this rubbish? What are they imprinting on their psyche  and body?

        Till now we were reading about aimless man of lower strata doing heinous rapes and other sexual abuses on all- young girls, boys and kids.But today I was shocked to read the confirmation of the medical report that female maids who worked with a reputed public school in Gurgaon were sexually abusing an eight year old girl - even by using foreign objects! They confessed to the crime, What type are women are they? How can a woman - a mother do it?

          Is it some sort of frustration which is leading them to this shameless path or simply the sickness of their psyche? Where & when is it going to end? Are these people totally devoid of conscience? It is high time, we have to strive for some very serious introspection - find the root cause, educate & counsel them. Both mental & physical discipline is the need of the hour. Otherwise it seems that we are sending our to a jungle daily (and not to schools) which is full of sick minded beasts and we are not at all sure of our children's security unless they return home.