Hard Facts - Heartening Moves

For the Underprivileged Child in India

POVERTY & SURVIVAL - 60 million under-6 children live in poverty in India and are in dire need of care. 1.8 million children die every year before reaching their first birthday.

• The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) of 2005 being currently implemented in 615 districts will give employment to the rural poor and create the much needed public infrastructure. Mobile Creches is lobbying for crèches and adequate budgetary allocations for them, at the work sites, to ensure that children are cared for and women avail of this opportunity.

GENDER - 44.5% girls in our country are married off before the age of 18 (NFHS III) and United Nation recognises child marriage as a 'violence against children' issue.

• The earlier act, i.e. the Child Marriage restraint Act, 1929 was inadequate as it was framed before independence. To address it from the contemporary social perspective the new Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 was enacted to abolish this evil practice.
  
  Government of Delhi launched the "Laadli Scheme" in 2007 with an aim to curb female foeticide and enhance the social status of the girl child by promoting their education and protecting them from discrimination and deprivation.
  

NUTRITION - MDG Goal No.1 is eradication of poverty and hunger by 2015. India is way off the mark. As per NFHS III 47% of India's children are underweight and 79% are anaemic.

• The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is the flagship State programme for the children under six. It is targeted towards reducing malnourishment among children in this country by providing supplementary nutrition and growth monitoring. The landmark judgment of Supreme Court of December 2006 directs the state to universalize this programme.The implication of the judgment is, to have 14 lakh AWC by December 2008.

EDUCATION - MDG Goal No. 2: Achieve universal primary education by 2015. India is quite on track on enrollment but retention still a challenge.

• In order to universalize elementary education the 86th Amendment of Constitution enacted a new Article 21A in Part III ("Fundamental Rights"). Elementary Education is now a fundamental right for all children in the age group of 6-14 years. The State is committed to spend 6% of its GDP on elementary education out of which 50% would be earmarked for primary education. Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan and Mid-day Meal Scheme are steps to achieve this goal.

MATERNITY & WORK - 93% of the women workforce are employed in the informal sector - with no security of wages, no access to welfare and no maternity support. For 100,000 live births, 450 women die in/after childbirth every year; half the deliveries are in the absence of a trained attendant.

• Maternity Entitlements: Central Government women employees can now take six months of paid maternity leave as per the new rule framed. As per experts only 0.01% women will be in the benefit list.

Data Sources:
Census of India 2001
Human Development Report 2005
UNICEF State of the World's Children Report, 2006