India – UPR Submission

 

Human Rights Council

27th Session of the UPR Working Group – May 2017

Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of India

Joint Stakeholders’ Submission from:

Edmund Rice International (NGO in Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC)

Franciscans International (NGO in General Consultative Status with ECOSOC)

in partnership with NINEISMINE

  1. Introduction
  1. Edmund Rice International (ERI) is an international non-governmental organization, founded in 2005 and with Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC since 2012. ERI is supported by two Catholic Religious Congregations, the Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers. It works with networks of like-minded organizations and in the countries where the two congregations are present. ERI has an interest in the rights of the child, the right to education and in eco-justice.
  1. Franciscans International (FI) was founded in 1989 and has a General Consultative Status with the ECOSOC since 1995. FI supports Franciscans and partners working at the local and national levels and assists in bringing their concerns and expertise to the UN to address structural causes of human rights violations.
  1. The NINEISMINEis an advocacy initiative of, for, and by the children of India that sought the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It has been actively engaged in the Post-2015 process of framing the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and now it is working actively towards their promotion and fulfilment.
  1. Methodology
  1. Edmund Rice International and Franciscans International make this submission based on the work of their partners on the ground in India, particularly those involved in the NINEISMINE campaign.
  1. Between May and early August, over 40 consultations were held with young citizens of India on the SDGs, the CRC and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). These consultations engaged teenagers below 18 years, mostly from vulnerable situations, with adequate representation of children from privileged backgrounds as well. These consultations covered the vast regional, geographical, cultural, linguistic and socio-economic diversity of India including every State and Union Territory except for Daman and Diu. Over 200 child-rights organisations and schools (including 2,000 ‘kidizens’) took part in this process.
  1. The child-friendly workshops included sessions on
  • Knowing the SDGs through mime, charades, puzzles, art, song etc.
  • Learning CRC through group wax modelling exercises
  • Writing UPR report and recommendations through group discussions.
  1. These reports from across the nation were then tabulated and categorized according to the SDGs and States. Representative children from these workshops came to the national capital on August 19, 2016, and studied the stories and recommendations. They built on these ideas, after more detailed research on the SDGs and the background situation of India and having interacted with social activists and other experts on each of the SDGs.
  1. These submissions from across the nation were then tabled and categorized according to the Goals and responses from Indian States. Representatives from these workshops came to the National Capital from August 17th to August 23rd, 2016. They sifted through the stories and recommendations and built on those ideas, after engaging in a more detailed study on the SDGs and the on ground realities of India – through interactions with social activists and other experts on the Goals.
  1. These representatives then formed themselves into a National Children’s Parliament with each accepting ‘ministries’ based on each of the SDGs. They also promised to ensure the complete realisation of each goal in their neighbourhoods and states (read constituencies).
  1. On the last two days of the Parliament each associated Minister and Deputy added their own recommendations to the list and in a ‘Market Place’ environment marketed the emerging recommendations. The other ministers then indicated their support for the recommendations by voting.
  2. The following are our stories and the recommendations which we are hopeful that the world will heed to meaningfully, embrace wholeheartedly, and realise with urgency.

Note: All the names of individual children in this entire submission have been changed to protect the identity of each child.

III SDG Goal 1 – End Poverty 

Article 26- Child’s right to benefit from social security. (CRC)

Article 27- Child’s right to an adequate standard of living. (CRC)

Article 18 – Parents’ joint responsibilities to be assisted by the State. (CRC)

  1. “In a small village in Maharashtra, there was a boy (11 years) who lived with his poor and uneducated family members. His father worked at a construction site. He took his son with him because they didn’t have enough money to give him a proper education. Once the boy was walking with a steel rod at the construction site and saw a wire lying down and tried to fix it. He got a severe shock and there was nobody to help him there at the time. The boy was found dead after some time.”
  1. 23.6% of India’s population (of approx 1.3 billion people) lives below $1.25 (PPP) per day. (Human Development Report, 2015 – UNDP)
  1. Our Indian Constitution states that the State shall in particular, direct its policy towards securing that the citizens – men and women- equally, have the right to an adequate means of livelihood. (Article 39A)
  1. We thank our Indian Government for its Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Rural Guarantee Act (MNREGA), the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Increases taxes on the rich to ensure quality services to the poor
  • Increases budgetary allocation (GDP, Public Spending) on Education (6%), Health (5%) and Children (10%).
  • Introduces Child-Budgets in all ministries related to children in anyway

IV SDG Goal 2 – End Malnutrition

Article 24- Child’s right to health and health services. (CRC)

Article 6 – Children’s right to life and maximum survival and development. (CRC)

Article 27- Child’s right to an adequate standard of living. (CRC)

  1. “I am Debora Das, from West Bengal. I was brought from Bihar to Kalimpong for education by my aunt, but instead I was made to do domestic work. I was not given proper food but given smelly leftovers instead. Many times I could not get myself to eat the food and remained hungry. I often used to get stomach pains and a headache and bouts of vomiting. After medical treatment I came to know I was suffering from stomach tuberculosis and that I was also malnourished. Till this day I am on medication.”
  1. 29%, 39% and 15% of India’s children below the age of 5 are (moderately or severely) underweight, stunting or wasting, respectively. (State of the World’s Children Report – 2016, UNICEF)
  1. Our Indian Constitution states that the State shall regard the raising of the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties (Article 47)
  1. We thank our Indian Government for the National Food Security Act (2013), the Mid Day Meal Scheme, the National Nutrition Mission and the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Improves the quality and variety of the mid-day meal to make it more nutritious while providing the same on holidays too.
  • Encourages nutrition and agricultural education in schools while encouraging all to have kitchen gardens.
  • Provides ration cards to all households while improving the delivery of services at ration shops while also including pulses and edible oils in Public Distribution System(PDS).

V SDG Goal 3 – Health and Well Being

Article 24 – Child’s right to health and health services. (CRC)

Article 6 – Children’s right to life and maximum survival and development. (CRC)

  1. “I am Bamang Martha from Sangram, Arunachal Pradesh. Sangram is a remote village that is four hours by road from the closest government hospital in Ziro. Luckily, we have a privately run clinic in our village. There are people who have to walk for up to 2 days just to avail of these basic facilities. I have lost three of my siblings to common childhood diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery and Malaria.”
  1. India lost 1.2 million children below the age of 5 in the year 2015. (State of the World’s Children – Report 2016, UNICEF)
  1. Our Indian Constitution states that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedures established by law. (Article 21)
  1. We thank our Indian Government for the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, the National Health Mission and the Integrated Child Development Scheme
  2. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Ensures that facilities, medical care and medicines available at government hospitals are of the same quality as the leading private hospitals in India.
  • Provides functional, well staffed and well maintained PHC centres in every village.
  • Makes every Public Health Center (PHC) and government child friendly and accessible to all particularly the most vulnerable including persons with disability.

VI Goal 4 – Education

Article 28- Child’s right to education. (CRC)

Article 29 – The aims of education. (CRC)

  1. 27. “Our village lies in Chhattisgarh. The quality of education is the bad. Some of our teachers come to school drunk and they never come on time. Because of this we do not get a good education. This in turn results in a decline in jobs and an increase in poverty in our village.”
  1. 6.4 million Indian children of primary school age are out of school. (State of the World’s Children Report – 2016, UNICEF)
  1. Our Indian Constitution states that the State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of 6 to 14 years in such manner as the State may, by law, determine (Article 21A) and that the State shall provide early childhood care and education to all children until they complete the age of 6 years. (Article 45)
  1. We thank our Indian Government for the Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat campaign and the Sarv Sikhsha Abhiyan , Rashtriya Madhyamik Sikhsha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Uchchatar Sikhsha Abhiyan.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Extends the RTE from early preschool years to all children up to class 12 or age 18.
  • Provides an education that is free, compulsory, inclusive and complete. The standard in all schools must be at least that of the Kendriya Vidyalayas.
  • Sets up a students’ committee in every school which is, well represented of socio-economic and religious diversity and also disability. Its views and suggestions must be taken seriously.

VII SDG Goal 5 – Gender Equality

Article 2 – Non discrimination, (CRC)

Article 19 – Child’s right to protection from all forms of violence. (CRC)

Article 35 – Prevention of abduction, sale and trafficking. (CRC)

  1. “Simran (13 years), lives in Sawatsar village in Rajasthan. She is studying in class 9th of a government school. Her school goes only up to 10 classes. Therefore most of the parents do not send their daughters for higher studies. Mostly, parents arrange both the elder and younger daughter’s marriage together due to financial constraints. Child marriage still exists in the community. She has had a bad experience of the behaviour of boys in school. Teachers do not listen to girls’ opinions. Parents do not send their daughters in trains and buses due to insecurities that they had formed in their own mind.”
  1. 47% of Indian women presently aged 20–24 years old were first married or in union before they were 18 years old while 18% of them were first married or in union before they were 15 years old. (State of the World’s Report 2016, UNICEF)
  1. Our Indian Constitution encourages the State to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India and to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women. (Article 51A(e))
  1. We thank our Indian Government for its Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Campaign and its related Sukanya Samridhi Yojana.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Include lessons on gender sensitivity into every year of schooling.
  • Ensure that no girl or boy should be allowed to get married before the age of 18 and 21 respectively.
  • Consider all child marriages as null and void and such marriages re-conducted when the girl is 18 or more but only if both individuals concerned approve of the same.

VIII SDG Goal 6 – Water and Sanitation

Article 24- Child’s right to health and health services. (CRC)

  1. “I am Sumit from Dadra Nagar Haveli. During the monsoon we have ample water. However, during the summer the rivers dry up. Sometimes our cattle don’t even have water to drink, and a lot of animals die. Moreover there isn’t enough water even for humans. The PWD sends government tankers but the water is only provided at the recommendation of the head of the village.”
  1. 53.1% of India’s households do not have access to toilets. (Census of India, 2011)
  1. Our Indian Constitution states that the State shall regard the raising of the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties. (Article 47)
  1. We thank our Indian Government for its Namami Gange Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission, the Swacch Bharat Mission and the National Rural Drinking Water Programme.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Provides every house with a toilet, with proper drainage systems and with sufficient light and water.
  • Ensure that all new toilets should be Green toilets that use bio technology and less water.
  • Provides sufficient and child-friendly public toilets at common places and which are maintained regularly.
  • Ensure that toilets for girls and for people with disability are provided in all schools, offices and public places.

IX SDG Goal 7 – Energy for All

Article 27- Child’s right to an adequate standard of living. (CRC)

  1. “My name is Sonal. I come from a small village in Jharkhand. My father left us when I was 3 years old. I now live in Delhi with my mother who is a domestic worker. When my mother moved to the city from the village, she left me to take care of my grandmother who was very old. I had to cook food for her and get water for her. Every day, I used to wake up at 4 am to go to the nearby forest to collect firewood, along with other girls from our village. We had to carry heavy loads of wood from a long distance just to provide ourselves with cooked food.”
  1. 700 million people in India use fuel wood for cooking. (Annual State of India’s Environment Report – 2015)
  1. Our Indian Constitution states that the State shall endeavour to protect and improve and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country. (Article 48A)
  1. We thank our Indian Government for its National Policy on Bio Fuels and the National Solar Mission.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Provides sufficient and regular electricity to every house across India by 2020.
  • Promotes the use and production of renewable energy.
  • Provides continuous, affordable and clean energy to farmers and those engaged in cottage and rural industries and small enterprises.

X SDG Goal 8 – Decent Work

Article 32 – Child Labour (CRC)

Article 18 – Parents’ Joint Responsibilities Assisted by the State. (CRC)

  1. “Usha (13 years) lives in Mauli Jagram Colony in Chandigarh. Her mother was a domestic labourer and her father a gardener. Unfortunately, her father fell seriously ill. She was studying in 7th grade. Usha, therefore, dropped out of school to work as a domestic worker. After a year her father recovered but was unable to work. Usha therefore, had to continue working as a domestic labourer.”
  1. 4,353,247 children within the 5-14 age bracket (and thus eligible for the Right to Education) are engaged in child labour. (Census of India, 2011)
  1. Our Indian Constitution states that the State shall within the limits of its economic capacity and development make effective provision for securing the right to work, to education and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement, and in other cases of undeserved want. (Article 41)
  1. We thank our Indian Government for its Skill India program and the MNREGA Scheme.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Guarantees parents‘ Right to Work with decent and just wages and with proper written contracts.
  • Ensures a complete ban on child labour that deprives any citizen below the age of 18, his or her Right to Develop and the Right to a Childhood.
  • Extends the MNERGA scheme to ensure work throughout the entire year and across the country.

XI SDG Goal 9 – Innovations and Technology

Article 27- Child’s right to an adequate standard of living (CRC)

  1. 52. “Iba hails from Meghalaya. She is visually impaired and studies in an inclusive school. She believes that children with disabilities do not need to be protected, rather, they need to be given sufficient spaces and opportunities to grow. She believes in inclusive education and wants special educators and counsellors who can assist children with special needs particularly in SSA schools. She advocates for the right use of technology to bridge the barriers. Building ramps in schools, providing Braille tablets, frequency receptors, JAWS software etc could ensure inclusion”
  1. 18% of India’s population were internet users while there are over 74.5 subscriptions to mobile phones per hundred people. (Human Development Report, 2015)
  1. Our Indian Constitution states that the State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to subserve the common good.  (Article 39 b)
  1. We thank our Indian Government for its Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadhak Yojana and its Make In India, Start Up India and Accessible India campaigns.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Makes technology affordable for and accessible to all.
  • Makes IT education an option within formal education.
  • Makes technology usable, affordable and relevant to improving the lives of persons with disabilities.

XII SDG Goal 10 – Reduce Inequalities 

Article 2 – Nondiscrimination. (CRC)

Article 23 – Rights of children with disabilities. (CRC)

Article 30 – Children of minorities or indigenous people. (CRC)

  1. “Sanjay from Tamil Nadu, enrolled at our school for studies in the 6th grade. He has a physical disability. He cannot not eat, walk, stand or move by himself. He always needed support from others. His peers and friends used to support him and help him to walk, play, eat etc. We spent time with him to make him happy, therefore his self-confidence increased and he started interacting   with us like a member of our peer group. We treated him equally and inclusively because of which he was very happy and hopeful.”
  1. The number of children with disabilities between the age of 5-10 in India is estimated to be 2.20 million (Census of India, 2011) but only 1.72 million are enrolled in schools. (DISE on Elementary Education in India, 2013-2014).
  2. Our Indian Constitution states that all citizens are equal before the law within the territory of India. (Article 14) and it prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them (Article 15(1)), and that the State shall promote with special care the educational interest of the weaker sections of the people. (Article 46)
  1. We thank our Indian Government for its Give It Up and Accessible India campaign and the Prime Minister Mudra Yojna.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Sets up an Equal Opportunities Commission to ensure that there is no inequality in providing services and opportunities to all, particularly to girl child and women and from Dalit, Adivasi or Minority communities or those with disabilities.
  • Provides the best specialised care to all children with disabilities and other vulnerabilities within an inclusive environment and in the same nieghbourhood school where thier siblings and friends go.
  • Ensure that all women are given equal decision making powers. They should have at least 33% representation in all elected bodies from the village council up to the National Parliament.

XIII SDG Goal 11 – Sustainable and safe cities

Article 34 – Sexual exploitation of children. (CRC)

Article 35 – Prevention of abduction, sale and trafficking. (CRC)

Article 19 – Child’s right to protection from all forms of violence. (CRC)

  1. “I am Raj, a resident of Podi district in Uttarakhand. My school is very far from my house; hence, I have to travel a lot. It is especially difficult to travel when it rains. The roads have potholes and there is always a constant fear of being attacked by animals. There is no bus service provided for our travel.”
  1. There were approximately 35,000 buses operating in urban areas. Of these 8 of the biggest cities – Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad and Pune – account for 80% of all buses. (EMBARQ India’s Bus Karo 2.0 Report, 2014)
  1. Our Indian Constitution states that the state shall provide opportunities and facilities for children and youth to develop in freedom and dignity. (Article 39(f))
  1. We thank our Indian Government for its Smart Cities Mission, AMRUTprogram, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Builds proper transport infrastructure with reliable, frequent, affordable and disabled-friendly public buses and public transport systems.
  • Mandates that all police stations be made child-friendly
  • Installs fully functioning lights along all streets and roads and in all public places.
  • Builds cycle tracks and barrier-free footpaths in all cities and villages.

XIV SDG Goal 12- No Wastage, Wise Consumption

Article 3- Best interests of child. (CRC)

  1. “I was once at a fair in my hometown in Jammu and Kashmir with tempting food stalls. Everyone’s mouth watered looking at the delicacies. There were a few children picking rags who looked starved. They looked at the sweets being prepared but couldn’t afford it. A man came along and brought two packets of sweets and started eating. Children begged him to give some to them. He ignored them. After a few minutes his stomach was full and he threw the leftover sweets in the dustbin.”
  1. India discards roughly 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of E-waste each year. (Joint study by Assocham- KPMG as reported in The Hindu, May 26, 2016)
  1. Our Indian Constitution states that the State shall in particular, direct its policy towards securing that the citizens, men and women equally, have the right to an adequate means of livelihood. (Article 39a)
  1. We thank our Indian Government for its National Clean India Fund.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Introduces a complete point-to-point segregation of waste program while ensuring that the rag-pickers are recognised as workers with rights and dignity.
  • Legislates that all wastes by the companies that produce use and throw products must be treated by them.
  • Ensures that all new vehicles are of hybrid varieties that use renewable energy only.
  • Encourages rain water harvesting and the sustainable use of other resources while discouraging mega-projects that destroy the earth and displace people.

XV SDG Goal 13 – Climate Action

Article 3 – Best interests of child. (CRC)

Article 29 – The aims of education. (CRC)

Article 39 – Rehabilitation of child victims. (CRC)

  1. “Thoibi, from Manipur, is a poor girl who is a victim of nature’s calamities. Recently there was an earthquake which harmed her house. The heavy rainfalls that followed worsened the situations.. Her family also faces a food crisis. Loss of property and her helpless conditions has made her access to education impossible.”
  1. India ranks 141 out of 180 nations with a score of 53.58 in the Environmental Performance Index of the Yale University. (2016)
  1. Our Indian Constitution states that the State shall endeavour to protect and improve and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country. (Article 48A)
  1. We thank our Indian Government for its National Plan on Climate Change and the National Solar Mission.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Bans all destructive mining completely. All mining companies should have a mandatory reforestation and restoration plan of the mined area.
  • Designs and imposes ‘green‘ taxes on all people who have carbon footprints larger than 1.7 gha and those who spend on lavish lifestyles and exorbitant weddings.
  • Makes regular disaster safety drills and awareness raising mandatory in all schools, offices and housing societies.

XVI SDG Goal 14 – Life in the Oceans 

Article 3 – Best interests of child.CRC

Article 29 – The aims of education. CRC

  1. “Udaipur in Tripura is also known as Lake City. The lake named Amar Sagar is situated in the heart of the city. Its water is getting polluted day by day because residents of its surrounding areas are regularly dumping plastic bags and domestic waste directly into the lake. Even the sewage outlets are directed straight into the lake. The people who use this water are becoming prey to many water-borne diseases.”
  1. India was ranked 104 out of 180 countries. (Environmental Performance Index’s Fisheries category – Yale University,2016).
  1. Our Indian Constitution states that it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures. (Article 51a(g))
  1. We thank our Indian Government for its Namami Gange Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission and for declaring dolphins and other cetaceans as ‘non-human persons’.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Bans the dumping of untreated human and industrial wastes into rivers and oceans.
  • Ends overfishing and illegal fishing while protecting smaller fishing communities.
  • Ensures a complete ban on non recyclable, non reusable plastic bags.

XVII SDG Goal 15- Life on Land

Article 3 – Best interests of child. (CRC)

Article 29 – The aims of education. (CRC)

  1. “Deforestation is one of the major issues in our Adivasi wadis in Mahatrashtra. Because of deforestation our people have lost their livelihood because we use it to collect forest products to sell. We are having waste scarcity due to deforestation. The heat is high and increasing and due to that there is a change in temperature. Deforestation has affected the number of wild animals. Forest is destroyed by deforestation as well as forest fires. Our people are not able to get firewood.”
  1. While CO2 emissions of India’s poor who earn below Rs 3,000 per month (432 million) is 335 kg, the richest consumer class (only about 10 million) who earn Rs 30,000 or more have an average of 1,494 kg. (Hiding Behind The Poor Report – Greenpeace 2007)
  1. Our Constitution states that the State shall endeavour to protect and improve and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country. (Article 48 A)
  1. We thank our Indian Government for its Project Elephant and Project Tiger that protects their species and their ecosystems. We welcome the Delhi High Courts recognition of a birds ‘Fundamental Right to Fly’ (May 2015).
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Provides only organic fertilizers and natural inputs to all farmers especially women, Dalits, and Adivasis.
  • Increases budgets of the Environment ministries.
  • Empowers the Independent Green Commissions and Tribunals.
  • Bans the deforestation of present forests completely while planting only native species of trees and plants.

XVIII SDG Goal 16- Peace and Justice

Article 38 – Protection of children affected by armed conflict. (CRC)

Article 7 – Birth registration, name, nationality and right to know and be cared for by parents. (CRC)

  1. “Gopal lived in a middle class Manipuri family. He had to look after his blind wife and their children. One night Gopal went out to get a van. The army saw him and killed him on the mere suspicion that he was an insurgent. Till now justice has not been delivered to Gopal and his family. His little son Arnav was left alone to look after his blind mother and his little siblings. Arnav himself later lost his life to AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Power Act).”
  1. India ranks 59 out of 102 countries in the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Report. (2015)
  1. Our Indian Constitution state that the State shall secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice, on a basis of equal opportunity. (Article 39 a)
  1. We thank our Supreme Court for its recent judgement on AFSPA (The Hindu, 11July, 2016) while thanking our government for the Right to Information Act and on the ICPS and the Digital India campaign.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Prohibits the occupation of any school by the army or police even during conflict.
  • Passes strict anti-corruption laws immediately.
  • Signs all international conventions and optional protocols that relate to children.
  • Provides every child with a birth registration done within 21 days of birth at all local health care centres.
  • Withdraws AFSPA from all applicable states, immediately.

XIX SDG Goal 17 – Global Partnerships

Article 42 – Making the convention widely known. (CRC)

Article 4 – Implementation of rights in the convention. (CRC)

Article 26 – Child’s right to benefit from social security. (CRC)

Article 25 – Child’s right to periodic view of treatment. (CRC)

  1. “I am Gyanashekar from Tamil Nadu. I was travelling to Hosur town in Tamil Nadu where I saw some children begging. I discussed this issue with the members of my local Children’s Parliament and informed 1098. Then the recovering team rescued 42 children from the streets. This is my team’s big achievement.”
  1. In terms of GDP – public spending, India currently spends less than 4% on Education and 1% of Health. This is well below Brazil’s 6% and 5%, Botswana’s 9% and 4%, Malawi’s 8% and 4% or Bhutan’s 6% and 3% spending on the same. (State of the World’s Report, 2016 – UNICEF)
  1. Our Indian Constitution respectively states that the State shall endeavour to foster respect for international law and treaty obligations in the dealings of organized peoples with one another.

(Article 51c)

  1. We thank our government for proactively promoting international cooperation and in particular regional cooperation through BRICS and SAARC.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Ensures that every Elected Representative (including CMs, MPs and MLAs) and Government official, knows about these SDGs, and their targets and indicators.
  • Encourages the formation of genuine neighbourhood children’s parliaments that are federated with the district, state, national and international levels. 
  • Ensures that SDG, Human Rights and Child Rights awareness classes and workshops are held in all educational and professional institutions and with government officials.

XX SDG Goal 18 – All Rights for All Children

Article 25 – Child’s right to periodic view of treatment. (CRC)

Article 1 – Definition of the child. (CRC)

Article 12 – Respect for the views of the child. (CRC)

  1. “Rohit (aged 16) lives in a slum a kilometre away from India’s National Parliament in Delhi. He lost his mother and his father remarried, after which he was looked after by his elder brother and his wife. His elder brother is also poor and could not afford to educate him. Rohit, therefore, had to leave school and work at a government retail shop close to Connaught Place. His grandparents married him off at age 14 against his will which he continues to resist even today.”
  1. India ranks 102 out of 163 nations on the Kids Rights Index (2016)
  1. Our Indian Constitution states that the State is to make any special provision in favour of women and children. (Article 15(3)).
  1. We thank our Indian Government for SABLA scheme that uplifts adolescent girls and for passing the POCSO bill that attempts to protect children from sexual abuse.
  1. Our Recommendations –

That the Government of India:

  • Makes all information and data about all the SDGs and schemes related to children accessible particularly to children themselves.
  • Defines the age of a child as 18 for all matters related to children including criminality, labour and the right to education.
  • Creates opportunities for the meaningful and widespread gathering of children’s opinions on all matters concerning children.
  1. You may have been surprised to note our ‘Eighteenth Goal’ which the NINEISMINE campaign marks as All Rights for All Children. We would like the world to recognise children as active citizens of today. They should enjoy all rights and not just the present piecemeal-approach of seeing them as recipients of Education, Health and Prosperity and Peace. Hence, there is a need to include all the Earth’s PROGENY, as a specific and independent Goal.
  1. “India is home to more than 19% of the world’s children. More than one third of the country’s population, around 440 million, is below 18 years. It is estimated that around 170 million or 40 per cent of India’s children are vulnerable or experiencing difficult circumstances characterized by their specific social, economic and geo-political situations.” (Ministry of Women and Child development, Government of India, Annual Report 2014-15.)
  1. If the world is serious about its promise to ‘leave no one behind’ then the world cannot ignore the voice of India’s ‘Last Child’.

XXI Implementation of UPR Recommendations

  1. In order to more effectively implement the recommendations accepted as part of its UPR we recommend that the Government of India:
  • ensure the effective implementation of UPR recommendations through the establishment, by the time of a mid-term assessment of the current UPR cycle, of a permanent governmental mechanism to liaise with relevant ministries and consult with Civil Society, NHRI’s and all relevant stakeholders