On May 8, a Bal Ashram situated in Jaipur’s Viratnagar town held the election for a “Children’s Assembly” under the leadership of Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi. This 11-member children’s assembly comprising rescued kids from several states will be responsible for voicing the children’s issues and will present crucial issues regarding child exploitation with the objective of eradicating them.
The Bal Ashram is a rehabilitation and educational support center for children. It has elected the Assembly for children comprising 11 members, whereby Lalita Kumari was elected as the Bal Sarpanch, Champa as the Vice President, and Surjeet as Secretary.
Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi with members of Children’s Assembly (Image Courtesy: The Correspondent)
66 Bal Panchayat members hailing from 6 states namely Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan had filed for nominations and formed the 2018 Maha Bal Panchayat via elections.
The Children’s Assembly elections were held under the Bal Mitra Gram Program launched in 2001 as a social transformation initiative cum model. The program has set benchmarks in promoting child-centric community development since its inception.
Mr. Sayarthi termed Bal Mitra Gram as his first step towards building a child-friendly India whereby parents, teachers, and communities listen to the children, respect their voice, and involve them in decision making.
The elected Assembly will present their achievements, concerns, and a charter of rights at the upcoming national consultation to be held in New Delhi on May 11. It will be organized by Kailash Stayarthi Children’s Foundation and Global March against Child Labour.
Talking about the functioning of the Bal Panchayat, it works similar to a Gram Panchayat. It is a self-monitoring system that works on a wide range of aspects right from improving infrastructure in schools to finding innovative solutions to water issues and ensuring that all children attend the schools.
