It gives me great pleasure to be here amidst you all at the Inaugural Meeting of the newly constituted Parliamentary Forum on Children.  This is a subject of critical importance and it is, indeed, our good fortune to be associated with the Parliamentary Forum dealing with a subject of such seminal significance to the nation and the society.

Friends, we all know that children are the future of the nation and the society. As our former President Dr. Abdul Kalam put it so evocatively: ‘when the children smile, the nation smiles’. Hence, it is matter of acute agony for all concerned to see tender boys and girls with nimble hands toiling in the hot sun or engaged in hazardous activities.  Today child labour and child beggars are a common sight everywhere.  This is a scourge afflicting especially the developing nations and in India we have our own share of the problem starkly staring us in the face. Concerns relating to child labour, particularly girl child labour, and street children have got economic, social, religious and cultural implications. The issues confronting children and the factors that inhibit their growth have to be addressed urgently. It is not enough to address these complex issues through legislation and welfare measures done. This is a larger responsibility involving the society as a whole. It requires the involvement of various agencies such as the media, the academia, the civil society organizations and international bodies besides Governmental Departments.

Friends, today there is a crying need to focus our attention on the issues relating to the girl child. It is an undeniable fact that girls are subjected to deep-rooted social prejudices and grinding poverty, especially among the weaker sections of society who still see a son as an asset and a daughter as a liability. This is the root cause behind the scourge of female foeticide and female infanticide which is still prevalent in several parts of the country. It is little wonder, therefore, that afflictions like, illiteracy, malnutrition  are more pronounced in the case of girls, hindering their growth into meaningful members of the society. We need to tackle the issues adversely affecting the girl child in our society. If women have to play a meaningful role in the society, then we must start nurturing girls from an early stage and prepare them to meet the requirements of the visualized role. At a time when we are seeking to introduce reservation of seats for women in our Legislatures, why not reserve certain portion of seats for girls in the schools? These are issues on which the policy makers need to be sensitized.

But, first and foremost, it is the parliamentarians who ought to have a comprehensive understanding of the problems confronted by children because it is they who have to steer the direction of public policy. It is their responsibility to sensitise the Government and its Departments on what the society expects from public policy and how the policy impacts the society. The public expects its hopes and aspirations, nay even its fears and frustrations, to be voiced by the elected representatives in order to galvanise the Executive into constructive action through beneficial programmes emanating from sound policies.  It is therefore  essential that as elected representatives, we understand the issues concerning children on the basis of informed inputs. Such inputs can come out of interaction with a cross section of institutions and individuals who are working in this sector and have gained rich insights into the problems. Once we understand the intricacies involved, we will be effective in our role as watchdogs of the Executive. Besides, as elected representatives of the people, we will be able to communicate with the common man effectively and carry people’s voice with us to the Parliament. I would again like to emphasize that it is our bounden duty to sensitize the Government with the ground realities as perceived by people and the civil society organisations. Their concerns have to be reflected by us and in this we need to adopt an inclusive approach by understanding varied experiences.

When we think of the problems afflicting children, the issue of child labour and street children come immediately to our mind. But the Forum’s concern for children need not be restricted only to this segment. We need to have a comprehensive approach about children as a class and not merely about a particular segment. The problems of school going children should also be a matter of much deliberation for us. Today, children are under tremendous pressure to perform. The heavy load of books they are expected to carry on their back and the lack of proper recreational avenues in the schools, thereby making learning a mechanical exercise of ‘all work and no play’ are serious issues. Today, we find schools coming up in cramped apartments without any play grounds or recreational facilities. We must remember that a child of today cannot evolve into a responsible citizen of tomorrow unless an environment conducive to his physical, mental and emotional growth is assured to him. We have to understand their requirements, since they are unable to express their sentiments. In other words, we have to bring the concept of joyful learning to the centre stage of a child’s school life. This brings us to the issue of the rights of children which they cannot ask for and yet, they are entitled to. It requires an inclusive approach because while children are innocent, the issues concerning children are, indeed, complex. Therefore, we need to learn from experiences gained across the spectrum and discuss on a broader platform.

It was to fill this void that the idea of establishing the Parliamentary Forum on Children was conceived.  It is expected that the insights of the members of the Forum would be useful for the House as a whole in presenting a comprehensive picture of a complex reality. Such understanding would be useful in steering the direction of the Government by Parliament. Therefore, it is, indeed, a privilege to be a part of a crucial Forum like this. I congratulate the members on being associated with this Forum and call upon each member to fully utilize this opportunity to gain a perspective on the issues confronting children and guide Parliament and the Government in formulating sound public policies and implementing crucial programmes beneficial for a healthy growth of children who are the future of our country.

I wish the Forum all success in its activities and endeavours to enrich the understanding of the House as a whole in a crucial area of our national life.

Thank you.