South Asian Church Affirms Her Role in Protecting Children at Risk

Always loved the most by Jesus Christ children are not only the future of a nation but also very much a present who need utmost care and concern. Unfortunately, the children of our societies today are getting most vulnerable instead of being most loved due to socio-economic and geopolitical situations that govern our lives. In view of this concern the South Asia Regional Council of CWM organized a South Asian Consultation on Church’s role in addressing Children at Risk at YMCA, New Delhi from 26th to 31st July 2009 with an objective to understand and internalize the role of the Church in addressing Children’s issues specially children who are at risk. The consultation gathered 40 participants from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Thailand.

Inaugurating the consultation Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan, Deputy Moderator of CWM and General Secretary of CNI reflected that the budget of the church activities directly reflects on the importance it gives to children’s ministry, particularly children at risk. He challenged that a total change in the attitude is needed regarding our priorities in our ministry among children. Jesus identified with the suffering people of His time and we also need to discern Christ in the suffering people around us and that would be a part of our worship to God.

Mr. Sony Kutty George from UNICEF dealt with the theme of building a protective environment for children. Church has to ensure that children are not exploited and Sunday schools are used to sensitize on the issues being faced by the children. Following that Ms Carmen Madrinan, Executive Director, ECPAT International highlighted on the theme of vulnerability, risk and response to sexual abuse of children.

Ms Sanjana Das from Habitat for Humanity brought the whole gamut of issues of street children and the factors that put children at risk and possible interventions. She also facilitated a process to identify forms of vulnerability in different south Asian countries.

Mr Amod Kanth, Chairperson of DCPCR and General Secretary of Prayas shared child protection models with focus on children in conflict with the law. Ms. Nidhi Pandir, Child rights advisor to PLAN India focused her session on how a safe environment could be created in relation to understanding and responding to children at risk.

The other resource people included Dr. Achal Bhagat from Sarthak who spoke about the need for Security, well-being, and permanence for children; Mr Aftab, Child Protection Manager of Save the Children, India who explained the difference between social protection and child protection through different models; Ms. Rita Panicker from Butterflies who spoke on the International conventions and national Laws; Mr. Vipin Bhatt, Center for Child Rights who explained various laws that are in the constitution of India and through them pointed out many specific laws which could be used to support specific cases where child abuse has taken place.

Mr. Kailash Satyarthi from Bachpan Bachao Andolan, who has been nominated for Noble Prize twice thus far for his untiring work to end bonded child labor conceptualized and advocated the idea of child parliament and implemented the same in eight States in India, challenged the participants to replicate the same in their own context as it is very effective threatens the exploitative structures of all kinds.

To understand the and experience the pain and struggle of children at risk participants were sent to three different places in New Delhi such as J.B Road child care programme for children of commercial sex workers, Shaheed Nagar programme for slum and street children and the center at Jahangirpuri, run by the Prayas organization as an observation home for children at conflict with the Law.

The most important participants of the consultation were the children themselves who spelt out their ethos and pathos and called upon the churches to address their Right to Survival, Right to Protection, Right to Development and Right to Participation. Challenged by the young participants the church worked out a plan of action to address the issues of children at risk strategically.

In his valedictory address Rev. Mosses Jeyakumar, General Secretary of Church of South India, called upon the churches represented that children at risk need a welcoming home, church, and community. At the end the delegates committed themselves to doing what were challenged to do during the consultation.