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I A STUDY BY I
HOLISTIC CHILD DEVELOPMENT INDIA, PUNE
RECEIVED
Wlusn
INTERNATIONAL SERVICES ASSOCIATE:.
Date :
Li\
No.:
PRINT MEDIA <& CHILDREN
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Holistic Child Development India, Pune
2007
Revised: 201 0
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Design and Layout
Rakesh Kumar
Shilpa Gaikwad
Joe George
Satish Chopde
Naina Athalye
Our Address
Holistic Child
Development India
S. No. 4A1 / Al /IE
Salunke Vihar Road
Kondhwa Khurd
Pune - 411 048
(Maharashtra)
E-mail
hcdi@hcdi.in
Website
www.holisticchild.org
Telephone
020 - 66000228 / 229
All rights reserved. No part of the document may be reproduced
without informing Holistic Child Development India, Pune.
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OLOZ
„93EdS 9JOLU SO 9AI8,,
NBdQ'lIH?
viasM iNiHd
£
"jouv^iv jvgojff
yuu wiisnlui ‘MU'd&ygffou
lynyv 04 jwoypjH/o
'ssog oyn'i uv-iygyLp frumu ygi
0? dyms
snvoyp'ay KJjjgy
uopEOipaa
Give us more space- Three years hence
The child rights movement needs the support of the
media and the study in 2007 Give Us More Space
highlighted the
need for very intensive and
concerted efforts on the part of NGOs, social action
groups and media to promote and protect child
rights.
After the release of the study my colleague Mr Joe
George and I met with the editors of various
Newspapers to discuss the findings. We were received
very warmly and we felt a genuine reciprocity to our
work.
The
recent atrocities on children whether in
Khairanjali, rapes of young girls in Mumbai, Pune and
other cities, the undeterred exploitation of children in
the manufacturing industries and in other areas of the
world of work need intensive reporting so that civil
society becomes alert and committed to the cause of
promoting child rights, women's rights and human
rights.
We continue to watch the print media and have
observed more stories reported about children and
there is an enthusiasm among the journalists to cover
more issues related to child rights and other child
centered events
We hope and pray that the trend will continue and
the media vigil will safeguard the mental and
physical health of children in India and the world
over.
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In a recently concluded seminar on disadvantaged
children and their dreams and aspirations, the
children in our Mumbai project, Rihaee have decided
to initiate their own children's newspaper.
This for us is welcome news and we hope that these
street and disadvantaged children as little journalists
will participate in protecting and promoting their
interests and rights. For us this is a great step toward
creative advocacy.
We look up to the media and print
particular to support us in our efforts.
media
in
Dr Naina Athalye
Program Coordinator - Children at High Risk
Holistic Child Development India,
Pune, India - (2010)
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Acknowledgement
\ A /e exPress our gratitude to all the children and
VV staff of the Children at High Risk Projects
around India who continually inspire us.
We
express
our
heartfelt
thanks
to
the
many
journalists who are courageous to take a stand on
various issues that are not newsy but relevant to
protecting and promoting peace and justice.
- Holistic Child Development India, Pune.
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Foreword
IZofi Anan, former Secretary General of the United Nations in
Ixhis address during the Special session on Children (08-10
May 2002) said, "This is not just a special session on children. It
is a gathering about the future of humanity".
As adults, it is critical to our existence that we do justice to
children and their rights through sustained, well thought out
and committed efforts.
We hope this small study will help us build bridges between the
marginalized and the powerful. The print media has for
generations symbolized the voice of the people and has
transformed and reformed civil society.
Article 12 and 13 of the UNCRC was formulated to
protect/promote the right of child to expression. However, the
area of child rights and children's presence and participation
remains under represented in many areas of life. It is our
endeavor through this study to acquire allies by sharing our
observations and dialogue, with those who wield the pen.
We want more children to become part of our decisions and
totally empowered to enjoy this world and be happy.
N. Thomas Rajkumar
Director
Holistic Child Development India, Pune.
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he present study is an action research planned as
l part
of
Holistic
Child
Development
India's
Children At High Risk project for advocacy for child
rights. The material presented here is original and due
acknowledgement has been given to sources quoted.
Dr Naina Athalye
Joe John George
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Page No.
Heading
1.01
Introduction and rationale
10
2.01
Objectives of the study
21
2.02
Method of the study
22
2.03
Findings
23
2.04
Limitations
30
2.05
Recommendations
30
3.01
Conclusion
32
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Abbreviation
HCDI
Holistic Child Development India
CAHR
Children at High Risk
UNCRC
United Nations Convention on
Rights of the Child
JJ Act
Juvenile Justice (care and protection)
Act 2000
NCPR
National Convention for the
protection of Child Rights
NCAS
National Centre for Advocacy Studies
NGO
Non Governmental Organization
WTO
World Trade Organization
CFCDP
Child Focused Community
Development Project
ILO
International Labour Organisation
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News on my
Paperboys work in the mornings
They throw the papers to make their earnings and run to
school.
When we ask them, tell us today’s news, they look
confused.
What are you talking about? Where is the time?
There are chores to finish.
A sister to be married off, (she turns 16 this year)
A brother to send to school, (he wants to be a doctor)
And medicines for daddy who will otherwise turn cold
The newspapers may be interesting but not for me.
I am running to finish my responsibilities
Lest my mother start to grieve.
Newspapers may be interesting but not for me
I have responsibilities and chores,
From which I cannot flee.
This is probably the story of a number of working
children in India. Sachin Bhosale (Std X student of St
John's Marathi medium school) was interviewed for
the study. He is a newspaper delivery boy earning
approximately a thousand rupees per month.
Sachin supports his family's income by delivering
newspapers in the morning and later going to school
leaving him with neither the energy nor the
inclination to pick up the newspaper.
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1.01
Introduction and rationale flHHI
■NH
The study presented here is not a critique but a
I gesture of fellowship made to the press to dialogue
with
social
action
groups/NGOs,
government
agencies, individual activists and civil society to
promote and protect the rights of children and also
to protest when their rights are violated.
We commemorate 13th November as the day of the
deprived child. While children have rights it is the
duty of elders to ensure that these rights are
protected.
India acceded to the UN convention on the rights of
the child on 11th December 1992, which is a landmark
achievement for the children of this country. The UN
CRC is a very important tool with which we can
protect and promote rights and protest when there
are violations. One of the objectives of the study was
to see if the print media was using the UNCRC as a
referral point.
We, in the child rights movement commemorate 13
November 2007 as the day of the deprived child and
presented is a study that explores into the type of
daily reports we read in the newspapers about
children.
We
could
have
collected
more
data
from
newspapers over a longer duration but we realized
how fast children grow and how they experience
poverty, abuse and hunger in the present. We think
the time to act is now. We hope the study will
motivate the vigilante of print media to closely
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is on children and to ask
examine their reports
for children? Arie we writing
questions. Are we writing
'
about children? Are we truly investigating in depth
stories that violate the rights of the children?
2001-2010 is declared by the United Nations as the
decade for promoting a culture of peace and non
violence for the children of the world and the study
presented here is one step toward child rights
advocacy
w
What is child rights
/^hild rights advocacy is action strategized to
K_zchange attitudes and policies of the people and
the government agencies. It is a process of continued
sensitization of the minds of all stakeholders to issues
that concern the lives of children.
Experts in the area of child rights advocacy (e.g.
Kumari R and Brooks S 2006) from their experiences
share that the best advocacy efforts come from
people centered movements. These movements
which are rooted in the ideology of inclusion
encourage the participation of the marginalized,
which in turn ensures their rights.
Why Print media for child rights advocacy?
The electronic media is staring in our face almost 24
I hours but it is the newsprint that reaches the
remotest corners of India.
On a day when electricity has failed people will pick
up the newspaper when they cannot switch on the
television.
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Readership for the English newsprint in Pune:
Times of India
2.2 lakhs
The Indian Express
1.9 lakhs
The Maharashtra Herald
45 thousand
Readership for the Marathi newsprint in Pune:
Sakaal
4 lakhs
Kesari
Approx. 50 thousand
1.5 lakhs
Lokmat
The above figures are encouraging and children fee
it is a matter of great pride to read the newspaper
everyday. According to the present study 99%
children love their newspaper and read them to
acquire knowledge and information. If such a large
percentage of children invest their time, energy and
love in the print media, it is only natural that print
media show more involvement in protecting their
rights.
Print media and children: A proactive approach
journalism is mostly reactive when in fact after
\_smore than half a century after independence
and with communication becoming global the need
is to be proactive- Rajan Balan (2002,NCAS,Pune).
Print media with all its trappings of colour and design
keeps the attention of the readers for a long time.
Much of what social psychology educates us about
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effective communication strategies is utilized by the
print media today. Researches have repeatedly
shown that media helps mould public opinion on
many important issues. For many lonely people,
young and old the print media symbolizes a
companionship and a peek into the world around us.
Print media can sensitize masses to many issues. The
best example that comes to mind is the call for
contributions during disaster situations. Newspapers
are able to mobilize resources in a matter of a few
hours.
In India, print media has earned credibility and the
respect of readers because of the important role they
played in the pre independence era. Newspapers
became the mouthpiece for the struggle for
independence and many even today still look for the
same commitment to social causes.
How can Media he
______
_____
HHHH
"All this celebrity journalism of today is only popcorn
entertainment which does not provide a wholesome
meal. It is as bad as junk food, for the brain as well as
for society."
“After all, there is a new generation working in these
establishments, I am sure that the newspaper
managements and even their owners will finally
realize that it is the real people who buy their
newspapers in large numbers. “
(Kumar Ketkar, 2002, NCAS, Pune)
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ketingV
Sbrity MarkotingjnHm
Qocial Marketing is systematically communicating
Oideas, information about findings and government
policies in order to sensitize and change human
behavior for a social good.
We, as readers today find ourselves sharing in the
media's obsession for "News" which is celebrity based
and results in celebrity marketing.
Social psychology gives many instances of research
where print media plays a persuasive role.
The role of print media can be one of informing,
persuading and motivating readers toward protection
and promotion of child rights.
•
•
Making
child
rights
advocacy
part
of
mainstream news reporting. Needless to say,
having a definite editorial policy, which will
make issues pertaining to children, women and
other marginalized groups part of the main
newspaper.
Giving more space to communication of policy
actions.
•
Inviting experts for a multi pronged and multi
disciplinary approach to addressing issues
facing children.
•
Writing for children.
•
Writing more persuasive articles about children.
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•
Addressing
problems
of
children
and
encouraging
reader's responses to policy
actions, which will help social action groups
and NGOs in policy mapping.
.
Carrying out surveys about the reporting and
the responses they receive which will help
social action groups in policy mapping.
•
A shift in reporting from page 3 culture to real
issues.
•
Having children participate in opinion polls or
surveys newspapers conduct
•
Using the UNCRC as a guideline for investigating
stories.
•
Helping social action groups in highlighting their
shadow reports on child rights violations so that
the reports reach their national or international
destinations where they can seek justice.
Background
4W
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The fact that one in four people will succumb to
I AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, or infections related to
dirty water casts a pall over all our children's future.
As long as more than 100 million children in poor
countries are not enrolled in school, there will be
political
and
social
instability,
with
global
implications (Bill Clinton, 2007)
As we work toward achieving the millennium
development goals we are confronted by some grave
figures______
Children in India:
Number of children
(0-14 years)
Number of female
children (0-14 years)
Number of street
children
Number of child
Labourers
Number of children
in prostitution in
India
Number of children
born in India every
year
Number of infants
who will survive to
see their second
birthday
347,4 mn
169.03 mn
18 mn
22 to 30 mn
5,00,000
27 mn
2 mn
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•
India has 30 % of the world's birth and 25% of the
world's deaths.
•
Every third girl born in India will not survive to see
her teenage.
•
Every sixth girl
discrimination
in
India
dies
due
to
gender
The Missing girl child:
The 2001 census showed 927 girls to 1000 boys. There
are 32 million missing women in India because of
female
foeticide
or
other
forms
of
gender
discrimination. The forerunners in doing away with
their girl children are so called progressive states
such as Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Child Rights Internal
the world (according to
Network):
Child Soldiers:
Myanmar (Burma) is in news for recruiting child
soldiers. Two million children have been killed in
armed conflict in the last decade. Three times as
many have been seriously injured or permanently
disabled. Millions of others have been forced to take
part in or witness horrifying acts of violence.
Increasingly, children are targets, not incidental
casualties, a devastating carnage that reflects a
wider trend in recent decades - a rise in the
proportion of war victims who are civilians from 5 per
cent to over 90 per cent.
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Recent
figures
from
the
Organization (ILO) show that:
•
o
•
•
International
Labour
Globally, 1 in 6 children work.
218 million children aged 5 - 17 are involved in
child labour worldwide.
hazardous
in
work
126
million
children
conditions.
The highest numbers of child labourers are in
the Asia/Pacific region, where there are 122
million working children.
The highest proportion of child labourers is in
Sub Saharan Africa, where 26% of children (49
million) are involved in work.
There has often been a tendency to focus on the
visible forms of work, such as children who work in
hazardous conditions, but this can obscure the many
other ways in which children work.
Rural working children, for example, are mainly
engaged in agricultural activities, fetching water,
fuel and fodder. In many countries, poor girls work as
domestic
servants
for
richer
families.
Almost
everywhere, children, especially girls, perform unpaid
work for their families. That work is done in the home
or in family enterprises does not necessarily make it
easier on the child.
Children who are trafficked: 1.2 million children are
trafficked each year for labour or sex.'
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I
What
Z^hildren are defined as people below 18 years of
^^age, according to UNCRC & JJ Act.
The UNCRC (United Nations Convention on rights of
the child) carefully and categorically embodies the
rights of the
child
and the
standards that
governments must strive to protect and promote the
rights of the children.
The ratification of the CRC by nations of the world
(except USA and Somali) signifies a commitment to a
rights approach.
The CRC spells out the four guiding principles of:
•
•
•
•
Non discrimination (Article2)
Best interests of the child (Article 3)
Survival and development (Article 6) and
Child participation (article 12)
The United t
eKillO
p
^h,,dre
0X11
• I IM • A* ” * •
The United Nations convention on the rights of the
child lists the following four as the basic rights of the
child.
The right to survival:
This right ensures that children get safe drinking
water, adequate food, shelter and access to health
facilities.
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The right to protection:
This right ensures the child s right for protection from
all forms of exploitation, abuse and inhuman
conditions and special protection in times of
emergencies such as disasters.
The right to development:
This right includes the right to education; to get
support for early childhood care, participate in their
own religion, play, study and recreation.
The right to participation:
This right includes the child access to appropriate
information, freedom of thought and expression.
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Legal measures to protect child rights in India:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Juvenile
Justice
Act
(2000)
gives
clear
guidelines for the care and protection of
children in conflict with the law and children
who need protection and care.
Article 23 of the Indian constitution guarantees
right against exploitation, prohibits traffic in
human beings and forced labor and makes their
practice punishable under law.
prohibits
Article
24
of
the
constitution
employment of children below 14 years in
factories and hazardous areas.
The Indian Penal Code has 25 provisions
relevant to trafficking, of which section 366A
punishes anybody procuring a minor girl from
one part of the country to another.
Section 366 B punishes persons importing girls
below 21 years from one place to the other.
Section 374 punishes compelling of any person
to labour against his/ her will.
Prevention of Immoral trafficking Act
The Act covers a wide range of offences that
make punishable any act to inducing persons
for prostitution, seducing or soliciting, keeping a
brothel or living on the earning of prostitution.
The Child Labour Prohibition Act prohibits
employment of children below 14 years of age
and lays down conditions of work of children.
The legal age for marriage is 18 yrs for girls and
21 years for boys.
Information
Technology
Act
punishes
publication through electronic media material
that is indecent and propagates vulgarity and
appeals to prurient interests
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2.01
The two main objectives were:
o
o
To record the number of editorials and articles that
were printed on page 1 of the newspaper during
the duration of the study (1 /10/07-31 /10/07)
To record the mention of the UN CRC in the
articles Published during the duration chosen for
the study.
The other objectives outlined were:
•
To quantify media reports about children at
high risk. (The five categories that the CAHR
department of HCDI is working for. (Please see
page - CAHR Department).
•
To report all other relevant findings that would
help better reporting of articles on children
•
To mention articles we found very relevant, well
researched and informative.
2.02
F^vata was collected from two sources viz; reports
Lx from newspapers about children and interviews
of children from various schools.
The English dailies selected for the study were:
• The Times of India
• The Indian Express
• Maharashtra Herald
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The Marathi dailies selected for the study were:
• Lokmat
• Kesari
• Sakaal
Articles, news items and editorials on children and
child rights appearing between 1/10/2007 and
31/10/2007 were selected and documented.
Children from various schools were given a short
questionnaire, which had the following questions:
• Do you read the newspaper?
• Which newspaper do you read?
• I enjoy reading the newspaper...
• I enjoy reading the newspaper because...
• I don't enjoy reading the newspaper...
• I read the newspaper to...
• Gain knowledge and information...
• For entertainment...
• Other...
• There should be more articles about girls...
The sample size was 70 school going children with a
mean age of 13.5yrs.
Objective 1:
To record the number of editorials and articles on
children and their rights that was printed on page 1
of the newspaper during the duration of the study
(1/10/07-31/10/07)
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There was only one editorial in the Maharashtra
Herald on 29/10/07 titled Empty stomachs.
The other article in the Times of India titled Educate
the Masses appeared as Editorial opinion on 9/10/07
Of the articles used for our study we found only 3
stories had appeared on page one of the three
English dailies.
The stories were:
•
Students turned away for mehendi on hands
1 7/10/07 pagel.
•
GAP pulls bock items mode in India-29/10/07
page!
•
Plucky girls fight in the US-31/10/07-Times Of
India and Maharashtra Herald.
Objective2:
To record the mention of the UN CPC in the articles
Published during the duration chosen for the study.
There was no mention of the UN CPC in any of the
articles
Other findings:
1. Placing of stories/articles/reports: (one sample):
We had the largest number of articles on the girl child
and we found the story "Exchange program turns sour
for student" appearing on page 1 on 31/10/07 of the
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Times of India and the Maharashtra Herald whereas
"Patil worried about sex ratio" appeared on page 7
of the Times of India.
Was sex
worry?
ratio relegated to page 7 or ministerial
Suggestion: : '
.'Ol
, -.’p;
What we would have liked to see on page 1 of the
main newspaper:
Child line receives limn distress
appeared on page 3 of Times of India.
calls-19/10/07
Of Grit and Determination-appeared on 23/10/07 on
page 4 of Eastside plus of Times of India Most of the
stories were placed in obscure spaces of the
newspaper. Very few stories were placed in the
centre of the paper. Theories of perception point out
that the brain will pay attention to items that appear
in the middle of the paper.
2. Total Number of articles that appeared in the
newspapers selected for the study:
Articles/News
on
English
Dailies
Marathi
Dailies
Child Labour
7
11
Poverty
4
2
Girl Child
24
18
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Trafficking
11
6
HIV/AIDS
5
7
16
10
11
7
78
61
Child
Education
Special
Children
Total
The above table shows the number of articles that
appeared under the Children at High Risk categories.
Of the above, articles with information, analysis and a
human perspective were:
NGO kick-starts programme to check child
labour appearing in the Maharashtra Herald.
The article carried relevant phone numbers
where concerned citizens can contact if they
identify children involved in rag picking.
•
A decade of dedication appearing in the Pune
News line of the Indian Express focussed on
poverty and hunger and highlighted the entire
movement against hunger.
'D word makes its round', on page 5 of Pune
News line of The Indian Express was a report
which made a mention of NCPR (National
Convention for the protection of child rights)
and was a comprehensive article mentioning
stakeholders
and
what the
concept
of
corporeal punishment is.
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Red Journalism in the Maharashtra Herald was
about a newsmagazine brought out by women
in prostitution. The article highlighted the
contents of the magazine, which in turn very
creatively advocated for the issues facing the
women in prostitution.
•
Home away from Home in Camp News line of
The Indian Express was inspiring as a lone
family's commitment to orphaned children.
Photographs and stories:
Three very good
I without stories:
photographs
of children
went
Maharashtra Herald on 18/10/07 carried a
photo of a child in Manila (Philippines) against
a poster saying "poverty". The photo could
have carried a write up on the Poverty
eradication rallies around the world or related it
to India's efforts to support the Millennium
development goal no. 13 which is poverty
eradication.
The second photo appeared in the Indian
Express on 19/10/07 showing street children in
Jamshedpur at play. The picture could have
carried a narrative on the problem of street
children in Jamshedpur.
•
No Extra Holiday: The photograph appeared in
Maharashtra Herald on 9/10/07 about a student
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protest in Imphal. Considering how underrepresented the North East is, this very good
photograph
could
have
carried
more
information about the life of students in these
trouble torn areas.
Placing otarticles and font size:
1^ /lost of the stories were placed on the left side of
IVIthe page and the font size varying and
sometimes really small font size for an article such as:
'New policy on child labour soon', was appearing in
the Maharashtra Herald on page 8 on 20/10/07.
The Indian Express on page 1 carried news titled
Alledged Ragging: Student ends life on 17/10/07.
Minor Rescued from Budhwar Peth in Times of India on
4/10/07 appearing on page 3 had a word count of 44
words and small font size. The researchers compared
it with about 256 words devoted for Dutts Diwali: 2.5
days off, prison sweets on 10/11/07 appearing on
page 1 of the same newspaper.
Very few stories were placed in the centre of the
paper. Theories of perception point out that the brain
will pay attention to items that appear in the middle
of the paper.
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There were fo.ur newspapers
supplements for children:
•
special
had
that
The Maharashtra Herald has Young Buzz.
The
Times
of
India
has
a
student
edition
distributed in the schools.
•
The Bal Mitra by Sakaal
•
Urja by Lokmat.
The Children’s survey:
uestions and responses in the interview schedule
SL
Questions
Response
Percent
age
1
Do you read the
newspapers every day?
YES
99 %
YES
85 %
YES
85%
YES
15%
2
a
b
c
Do you read the
newspaper to -________
Acquire knowledge &
information?___________
Understand,what's
happening around?
Its of no use reading it?
3
Do you enjoy reading
newspapers?___________
YES
99 %
4
Do you feel there should
be more articles for girls
in the newspaper?
YES
99 %
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space"
A/ CPHE \'^o,arn<;mgala
yE’))
O\0
20 1 d
The above table shows the responses of children to
the interview questions.
The responses indicate that children depend on the
newspapers to give them information and knowledge.
2.04
"j“he study could have been of a longer duration.
A review by a media person of the data collected
could have given us more insights into the print
media intricacies.
Juggling multiple responsibilities in an NGO makes
working on a serious study such as this is very difficult
due to paucity of time
More children could have been part of the study. For
e.g. we could have asked children to design a child
friendly paper to include as a sample for media
people.
More interviews with media persons would have given
us their side of the story.
2.05
•
Perhaps a job rotation with media working some
days in an NGO/social action groups and NGO
persons working in print would help us
understand each other better.
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(
•
Newspapers may want to evolve a policy of
including special features about children on a
regular basis.
More editorials about children's rights and
issues that can influence policy makers and
public opinion highlighting success stories about
children,
activists,
politicians,
government
officials or lay people working for child rights
and child welfare.
•
Investigating in-depth stories about atrocities
against
children
by
using
the
right to
information act and through an interface with
NGOs/social action groups.
•
Attending
rights.
•
Attending workshops and seminars (in spite of
the years spent in journalism training) on
creative writing for children, so that there is a
paradigm shift.
•
Meeting more children of different age groups.
•
If 99% children are reading the newsprint and
are
bombarded
with
page
3
popcorn
entertainment
where
is
the
intellectual
stimulation. The print media may want to
reexamine some of their decisions.
workshops
and
seminars
on
child
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•
Print media may want to develop weekly child
friendly
columns/supplements
and
invite
children to edit them.
•
One journalist friend exclaimed: "Child rights?
How Boring!I"
Print media experts may want to share with us how we
NGOs/social action groups can help change the
boring to newsy.
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3.01
Cpnclusion:
£ W/
The study had a very simple design and the analysis
I was not entirely complex or detailed and yet it
gave us a lot of insights into the under representation
of children in the print media.
Perhaps the print media may want to deliberate on
their reporting strategies to further the cause of child
rights.
Human Rights is not a novel idea for India. For
generations within the Indian tradition there have
been strong advocates of human rights and many of
the saints from different religious background have
championed the cause of human dignity and
individual
rights.
Kabir,
Tukaram
and
Mirabai
promoted human rights through their devotional
songs
The Christian missionaries who came to India
participated strongly in the human rights movement
first through spreading education especially among
women and later took up issues of health, family
planning etc. Many Indian Christians such as Pandita
Ramabai have championed the cause of women's
rights and the right to education for the girl child.
Today the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan by the Indian
government is an offshoot of the movements started
in the pre independence era.
Within India however there is a dichotomy in
worldview and attitudes about children that makes
advocacy and lobbying a complex, ambiguous,
frustrating and long drawn process. This is especially
so
because we
have very good
laws and
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constitutional rights within the country that make
everything look good on paper but when it comes to
actual justice there are delays, lacunae and a
general apathy toward issues related to children.
An article in the Times of India (6/04/06) by the writer
Pinky Virani highlighted the need for Child protection
Units and Child protection courts to dispense justice
at the earliest. Many children whose rights are
violated grow up and do not want to re-live the
trauma.
The recent case In Pune of Sachin Shinde (ten year
old) whose hand was operated upon seven times by
negligent doctors when he was only seven with the
result that he is now unable to use his left hand. The
doctors are moving about freely while the child and
his mother are repeatedly going to court for justice.
Some of the current discourses in the child rights area
have largely focused on the reduction and abolition
of child labor, the prenatal diagnostic testing to save
the girl child and juvenile justice and trafficking of
children for camel races in the Arab countries and
trafficking
of
the
girl
child
for
prostitution.
Developmental economists are also looking into the
budget and doing a social and gender audit of the
budget, which will go a long way in lobbying for more
voice of the marginalized. For example the annual
budgetary allocation of the Indian government on
Youth is 400 crores and Women and Child welfare is
2400 crores which is way below the required amount
as suggested by sociologists and economists over
and only recently have several states included
women and child as their budgetary heads.
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In India print media has a rich history from the pre
independence era for responding to social issues,
being independent and bold.
Today we see it crumbling under the pressure of
various shifts in attitudes and circumstances. Can you
stop, become aware and bring in the transformation?
2001-2010 is declared by the United Nations as the
decade for creating a culture for peace and
nonviolence for the children of the world and yet
children continue to suffer because we elders have
failed in our duty to protect their rights.
Against the backdrop of lopsided realities we round
off with a reminder from the eminent journalist Kumar
Ketkar (2002, NCAS).
"On the immediate agenda before us there are
innumerable issues that need attention. To draw the
attention of the policy makers people need the
media. Therefore representatives of the people must
go to the media to create a place for the people.
It is now time for us to recognize that the challenge is
greater and graver than in the 1990’s. We used to
believe that the clock never turns back. Frankly it
has. Things are much worse today. Now our fight is on
a different platform"
To those brave hearts in the print media who dare to
truly investigate and write real issues about children
in spite of being in a not so politically correct
newspaper, the noted journalist Kalpana Sharma
(2002 NCAS) says.
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PRINT MEDIA & CHILDREN
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"Regardless of what it is, it gives you access to the
public and if you know how to strategize this, you
could actually open up spaces.”
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•
Clinton B J, 2007. Giving. Random House:
New York.
•
Kumari, R Brooks, M. 2006. Creative Child
Rights Advocacy. Sage: New Delhi.
•
Prakasam, G; Lele, V. (Eds) 2006 (Second Ed)
Media and Social Action, NCAS, Pune.
•
Virani, P. 2006 Times of India
www.lndianNGOs.com
•
www.crin.org
•
www.iwhc.org
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About us:
■■■
Our Vision:
HCDI has a vision of children, youth and communities
growing up in a holistic and friendly environment, to
fulfill the God-given human potential within them,
and
thereby
become
creatively
productive,
responsible and caring citizens to promote equality
and justice, peace and harmony in the society and to
create a harmonious, equitable and sustainable
global community
I ICDI a partner of Kindernothilfe e.V. Germany has
A devoted thirty years toward the support and
rehabilitation of disadvantaged children. Much of our
work in various parts of India have highlighted the
need for awareness and campaigning of child rights.
We have over the years tried to address through our
Child Focused Community Development Programmes,
Residential Child Care Programs, relief provided
during Tsunami and the Children at High Risk Projects
issues such as HIV/ AIDS, child marriage, child labour
etc. We continue to sensitize our field staff and also
become sensitized ourselves to the various aspects of
lobbying and campaigning for child rights.
HCDI acknowledges that the Indian child population
is close to 42% and Indian children constitute a large
part of the South Asia's 25% world child population.
While we have been addressing micro issues it is our
endeavor to also address macro issues arising out of
the WTO onslaught, increased militarization, human
trafficking and environmental degradation.
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1
h'ld r'
\A/e at HCDI would like to be Part of
larger
VV movement to promote the UN's Child rights
Charter and keep the millennium development goals
as our guide.
HCDI would like to respond to these challenges both
at a macro and micro level.
Our macro level planning would include strategies
that will impact media, government, private sector,
politics and civil society and at the micro level we
hope to sensitize our own staff members, hostels,
CFCDs and churches to child rights issues.
Our strategies will span over the next five years and
we hope to commemorate all child related
international
and
national
days with
specific
advocacy strategies.
Against the above backdrop HCDI between 2007 2011 as a five years plan would like to plan its
advocacy activities for child rights under the themes
of Protect promote and protest.
The CAHR department:
The Children at High Risk department looks at the
I rehabilitation, empowerment and advocating for
the rights of children who come under five broad
categories:
•
Children below poverty line.
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•
•
•
•
•
The Girl Child.
Children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
Children who are trafficked or whose mothers
are trafficked and are into sex work.
Street and working children.
Differently abled children.
The department monitors and supports various
projects around India that specifically cater to the
needs of the children in the above categories.
Over the years however there has been a growing
awareness to look at a shift from just rehabilitation to
issues of child rights advocacy.
More essentially in India our concern is with
GLOBALIZATION and its impact on our children.
Whether it is privatization of education or the
excessive usage of our waters by multinationals and
of course man made disasters such as riots, terror
attacks and environmental degradation, it is the
powerless children and women who suffer.
Our
mission is to reach out to the children and protect
their rights in the face of WTO's triumphs and the ever
engulfing global phenomenon of the hegemony of
the rich and the powerful over the weaker sections.
India, we feel can be an Asian leader in this area of
strengthening of the child rights movement.
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Director
Mr N Thomas Rajkumar
Secretary to Director
Programme
Ms Faye Raymond
Mr Kiran Babu
Mr Peter Lasrado
Ms Aishwarya Bell
Ms Rubertine D'Souza
Ms Komal Waghmare
Ms Diana Pathak______
Dr Naina Rao Athalye
Mr Wesley Ebenezer
Ms Ermine Fernandes
Mr Y Thankachan
Mr Gawai S
Ms Maria Samuel
Mr Ananda Raul
(Child Focused
Community
Development and
Residential Child Care)
Children at High Risk
Finance
MIS
Mr Rameshwar Bhadange
Administration
Mr Edward D'Souza
Mr Shrikant Sawant
Ms Jessy LS
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\
.JI
1: ’ffl
i 'I
Holistic Child Development India is a humanitariaf
Child Focused Development Organisation
helping disadvantaged children, their families ana
communities irrespective of caste,
creed, colour and religion.
HOLISTIC CHILD
DEVELOPMENT INDIA
holisticchild@sify.com
KINDER
NOT
HILFE
www.holisticchild.org
- Media
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