Each year, an estimated 40 million children are abused; around 150 million girls and 73 million boys have experienced forced sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual violence. * United Nation’s Violence against Children Study

2 out of every 3 children reported being physically abused. 62% of the reported corporal punishment was reported in government and municipal schools in India * Ministry of women and child development

Presently, punishment as a form of discipline is prevalent and also considered an unavoidable part of growing up. Teachers also feel that they use corporal punishments not to hurt children but to discipline them as they themselves were turned right in the same way by their teachers and parents. Therefore there is no harm in using corporal punishment in schools.

The fact remains that corporal punishment breaches children’s fundamental rights to respect for human dignity and physical integrity. Corporal punishment does not really work. It only creates an environment of fear and distrust between children and teachers and should be replaced by non-violent methods of discipline.

Learn without Fear, Plan’s second global advocacy campaign, is about preventing all forms of violence against children in schools. The vision is to make a world where children can go to school in safety and expect a quality learning experience without fear or threats of violence. To achieve this it is important that first teachers as well as students acknowledge the fact that it is the right of the child to feel safe and protected. Many child rights organizations have been engaged in generating this awareness on children’s rights to protection. The challenge now is to have clear reporting mechanisms in place where children could report any kind of assault or abuse they face in or outside the school and it is appropriately addressed. There is a need to involve teachers, parents teachers associations, students to work together to create an atmosphere of trust and safety in schools.

In order to have reporting mechanisms for children in schools, it is important to have views of likeminded people from various backgrounds like representatives from school, SCERT, NCERT, All India, Primary Teachers’ Federation, Education Ministry, SSA, NGOs, INGOs, NCPCR, State commission etc and strategize to facilitate implementation of guidelines for reporting mechanisms recently issued by the Directorate of Education.

As 20th November is recognized as International Children’ Day, it is the right time to begin thinking on developing reporting mechanisms for children so that they are able to expedite their right to protection. Hence, a state consultation is being organized with the key stake holders for taking these guidelines to schools and strategizing its implementation at school level. Some of the key dignitaries who will be part of this consultation are  Swatantra Bala, Additional Directorate of Education, MCD Shri. Amod Kanth Chairperson DCPCR, Mr. Ram Pal, President All India Primary Teachers’ Federation and Key dignitaries from Ministry of Education

Since the circular issued by the office of Directorate Education on additional guidelines to address corporal punishment in schools, is a very timely intervention from the government, the proposed state consultation will be a step ahead to facilitate implementation of these guidelines. Further, in this platform the Code of Professional Ethics for Teachers developed by All India Primary Teachers’ Federation will also be shared with other stakeholders.

We will share the proposed guidelines discussed in the above platform in our next post.

Please follow us at @LWFIndia on twitter to get live updates on the state consultation briefing to be held in Delhi on 20th November 2009, 11am (IST) onwards.

The cartoon strip makes a case for female emancipation in a society where women venturing out of the house are looked down upon. A girl is refused to go to a picnic in town on account of her being a girl. At that moment the village chief arrives and allows the girl to go to the town. He explains to her parents that there’s nothing wrong in a girl going out to enjoy herself.

A very bright girl is forced to leave school owing to her parent’s dwindling financial resources. One of her teachers comes forth to help the girl continue her education by providing her monetary help. The girl grows up and become a successful lawyer. She thanks her teacher for supporting her and credits him for her success.

A student is severely beaten up by his teacher when he fails to answer the question asked by the teacher correctly. The student complains to the school authorities. As a result, the errant teacher is brought to the task by the authorities. The teacher realises his mistake and vows never to beat up children again.

The cartoon highlights the shameful crime of sexual abuse in schools and its traumatic effect on the victim. A girl is molested by her teacher in the school. She feels quite traumatized but due to her mortification doesn’t tell her parents anything about the incident. The next day when her mother asks her to go to the school she refuses on the pretext of illness.

You can click on the images to view them in their original sizes in a separate window.

Please note these cartoon strips by children are based on what they see in their schools and not actual happenings. Also, the name of the children who have created the strips have been omitted to protect their identities.

This cartoon strip brings to light how boys are privileged over girls in Indian households.
A boy comes home after playing with his friends. His mother offers him milk to overcome his fatigue. But when the girl asks for milk after finishing the household chores, she refuses. The girl feels neglected and rues the discrimination that the girl child has to face at their homes.

This comic strip highlights a girl’s strong will and her efforts to educate herself. The girl is refused to attend school by her mother as she wants her to help her with the household chores. However, the girl doesn’t lose heart and decides to squeeze time out from household chores and attend school regularly.

This comic strip gives out the positive message of how hard work brings rich rewards. A boy steals his classmate’s geometry box.  He complains to his parents and the boy is beaten up by his father.  However, his teacher calls the boy and explains to him the importance of hard work. He promises the boy that if he would stand first in the class he’ll reward him with a geometry box. Encouraged by teacher’s kind words, the boy works hard and tops his class and gets rewarded with the promised geometry box.

The comic strip highlights how domestic violence can spoil a child’s life and scar her forever. A girl is caught talking in the class by her teacher. The teacher in her anger thrashes her so severely that the girl loses her hand forever. When the teacher comes to know about the girl’s predicament she realizes her mistake and feels sad for the girl.

Please note these cartoon strips by children are based on what they see in their schools and not actual happenings. Also, the name of the children who have created the strips have been omitted to protect their identities.

Tarun goes out to get chalk for the teacher’s conveniences before he arrives in the class but is beaten up by the teacher for getting the chalks without his permission. Tarun complains to the headmaster who reprimands the teacher for his misconduct. The teacher realizes his mistake and asks for Tarun’s forgiveness.

A boy reaches school late and is severely punished by the teacher. He is made to clean the school, stand in the sun and beaten up with a stick for his non-punctuality. The boy feels sad and vows to reach school on time.

A girl gets late for school due to household chores and requests a friend to drop her to school on his bicycle. Her brother’s friend sees this and complains to her father. On returning home she is badly scolded by her father for going with a boy and her studies are discontinued.

A newly appointed teacher drinks in the class and neglects his duty as a teacher. One day he gives his students some problems to solve at home which none of them succeed in solving as they had not been taught anything by the teacher. The teacher gets angry and beats up the students severely. The students complain to the principal who reprimands the errant teacher. The teacher realizes his mistake and vows to mend his ways.

Please note these cartoon strips by children are based on what they see in their schools and not actual happenings. Also, the name of the children who have created the strips have been omitted to protect their identities.

The following comic strip highlights the all pervasive issue of gender discrimination in India. A farmer whole heartedly supports his son’s decision to join a computer course while discourages his daughter to join an embroidery course on account of her being a girl. According to the farmer it’s worthwhile to invest in his son’s educational betterment as he would support the family when he grows up while a girl has to ultimately settle down with her in-laws family.

This Comic strip again highlights the issue of gender discrimination prevalent in Indian households. A man encourages his son to go to Lucknow in search of a good job while sees household chores as the only job fit for her daughter. The daughter protests against her father’s discriminatory attitude and is badly snubbed by her father.

The following comic strip appeals for equal opportunities for the girl and the boy child. A man offers his thanks to God because he “blessed” him with a boy after two girls to support his household. On hearing this his daughter protests against her father’s attitude. She tells him that a girl, given an opportunity is equally capable of supporting her family. The father realises his mistake and vows never to discriminate among his children.

The comic strip shows how gender discrimination can be eradicated with education. A boy learns about the ill effects of gender discrimination at school. When he comes home he tells his parents about the need to educate the girl child and convinces them to send his sister to school with him.

Please note these cartoon strips by children are based on what they see in their schools and not actual happenings. Also, the name of the children who have created the strips have been omitted to protect their identities.

This cartoon strip brings to light the helplessness of a poor boy in getting proper education. Here a boy from a poor family craves to study but his name gets struck of the register as he is unable to pay the fees, his pleas for extending the date for fee submission fall on deaf ears.

This cartoon strips addresses the twin evil of school drop out and sexual abuse in schools. The cartoon strip shows a teacher abusing a girl, when the girl along with her friends protest the treatment meted out to them the teacher beats them up. This leads to a tragic end where the girls drop out from school.

This cartoon strip addresses the issue of gender discrimination. It depicts a family where the boy is obviously pampered over the girl child. When the girl questions, a flimsy explanation about girls having to learn living and serving her in-laws post marriage is meted out.

This cartoon strip addresses the problem of gender discrimination and bullying. Here a brother slaps his sister for talking to a boy. When she questions him about the reason he replies that it was wrong because she is a girl and girls should not talk to boys.

Please note these cartoon strips by children are based on what they see in their schools and not actual happenings. Also, the name of the children who have created the strips have been omitted to protect their identities.

Please note this is a drama enacted by the children based on what they see in their schools and not a recording of actual happenings. Also, the name of the children involved in shooting the video or in the video have been omitted to protect their identities

Please note this is a drama enacted by the children based on what they see in their schools and not a recording of actual happenings. Also, the name of the children involved in shooting the video or in the video have been omitted to protect their identities.

Please note this is a drama enacted by the children based on what they see in their schools and not a recording of actual happenings. Also, the name of the children involved in shooting the video or in the video have been omitted to protect their identities.

Please note this is a drama enacted by the children based on what they see in their schools and not a recording of actual happenings. Also, the name of the children involved in shooting the video or in the video have been omitted to protect their identities.