Two civil society organisations have appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to constitute committees of children along with the area sabhas, which are to be formed in urban local bodies as per a recent notification issued by the government.
In separate statements, Arunodhaya Centre for Street and Working Children (ACSWC) and Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC) have highlighted that the Tamil Nadu State Policy for Children envisaged the formation of such “bala sabhas (committees of children)” in village panchayats.
Vanessa Peter, founder, IRCDUC, said the government cannot ignore the urban local bodies as nearly 50 % of the children lived in urban areas. The Child Friendly Cities Initiative has articulated that a child-friendly city, in practice, is one “in which the voices, needs, priorities and rights of children are an integral part of public policies, programmes and decisions.”
Virgil D. Sami, executive director, ACSWC, said her organisation, which primarily worked with children in the northern parts of Chennai, formed a “Confederation of Arunodhaya Children Sangam”, a children’s body in 2021. “This is a platform for children to have a discussion on issues affecting them, form their opinion and share it with adults. Arunodhaya plays the role of providing information, developing the agency of children and creating a space for children to present their voices to the adults,” she said in her letter to the Chief Minister.
Highlighting the need for the government to constitute such committees, she said her organisation, in consultation with the children, has developed a draft framework for the formation and functioning of such committees.
Ms. Peter said the government should amend the recently-released Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies (Ward Committee and Area Sabha) Rules, 2022 to include the constitution of children’s committees. “The inclusion of the voices of the children in planning and development will help the government efficiently address issues with a child-friendly perspective,” she added.
