Davangere District Commits to the Promotion of Child Rights

Don Bosco Child Labour Mission Davangere organised an advocacy workshop with various stakeholders at the district level under the Child Rights Education and Action Movement (CREAM) programme on 9 April 2021 at the District Commissioner’s office, Davangere. The district-level workshop was inaugurated and presided over by Mr. Mahantesh Belagi IAS, District Commissioner, Davangere, and attended by 46 stakeholders from different departments.

The Presidential address was delivered by Fr. Joy Nedumparambil SDB, Executive Director, BREADS. The meeting focused on the importance of education, basic facilities in schools, protection of the rights of children, violations of child rights, issues of child marriage and child labour. The discussion emphasised the formation of Child Rights Clubs (CRCs) in schools, Child Protection Committees (CPCs) in gram panchayats, and the implementation of Makkala Grama Sabhas in the district. During the workshop, Mr. Mahanthesh Belagi, Mr. Vijayakumar K.H-Deputy Director of Women and Child Development, and Mr. Parameshwarappa C.R-Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI), were recognised with Champion of Child Rights awards for their outstanding efforts towards the protection and propagation of child rights. The Child Rights module and the handbook on Child Rights Clubs published by BREADS in collaboration with KSCPCR, UNICEF, and the Government of Karnataka were released by the District Commissioner on the occasion.

Fr. Joy, in his presidential address, focused on the aims, objectives and interventions of the CREAM programme in Karnataka from 2012. Over the past eight years, CREAM has been instrumental in stopping/preventing 914 child marriages, rescuing 3025 child labourers, and reenrolling 3910 school dropouts to mainstream education. It supported 14,564 cases of school infrastructure development through children’s advocacy and imparted child rights and human rights education to 301,221 children. He emphasised the importance of the formation of child rights clubs in schools under the guidance of a designated teacher appointed by government order, to supervise CRCs in the school, the formation of Child Protection Committees and the facilitation of Makkala Grama Sabhas in the gram panchayats. He exhorted the district administration to ensure that Davangere not only be a smart city, but also free from child rights violations.

Mr. Mahantesh Belagi extended his cordial support towards the CREAM programme in the district and committed that his office would communicate to the Education Department to take ownership of printing and distributing the child rights modules to all the government schools in the district, and the formation of child rights clubs in schools.  His administration would concentrate on facilitating Makkala Grama Sabhas through the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj department.

Mr. Vishwanath P Mudajji, Commissioner, Davangere Municipality; Mr. Rajeev, ASP; Mr. Shaji Mathew, Inspector, Railway Protection Force; and Mr. Basavaraj from Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU), spoke on the occasion.

The following stakeholders and departments were part of the district-level advocacy workshop: District Commissioner; Commissioner, Davangere City Corporation; Deputy Project Coordinator (DYPC); Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Davangere; Deputy Director of Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD); Department for the Empowerment of Differently-Abled and Senior Citizens; Deputy Director of Social Welfare Department; Minority Welfare Department; District Officer, District Backward Classes Welfare; Member of District Legal Services Authority; Child Welfare Committee; Special Juvenile Police Unit; Inspector-Railway Protection Force; District Child Protection Unit (DCPU);  District Institute of Education and Training (DIET); NGOs; CHILDLINE; Juvenile Justice Board; and the Media.