'Children's Assembly' elected in Jaipur, to present their issues at national level

A Bal Ashram in Jaipur district of Rajasthan has elected a "Children's Assembly" comprising kids rescued from several states under the leadership of Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, in an effort to present their voice at the national level.

The Bal Ashram, a rehabilitation and educational support centre for children, is in Viratnagar town of the district.

The Children's Assembly, or the Maha-Bal Panchayat, comprises 11 members, and Lalita Kumari from Rajasthan has been elected its president.

"Child Friendly Village (Bal Mitra Gram) is the first step towards my aim of making a child friendly world. This means parents, teachers, communities and leaders should listen and respect the voice of children and involve them in decision making," the 64-year-old Satyarthi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, said in a release.

The Bal Panchayat is a platform to present the voices of child leaders at the national level, according to the release.

The elected Assembly of children will put forth their achievements, concerns and a charter of rights at the national consultation to be held in New Delhi on May 11. The consultation will be organised by Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation and Global March against Child Labour.

Iniated by Satyarthi's Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Bal Mitra Gram is a unique model for a holistic and sustainable approach to end child labour and ensure education for all children.

The Bal Panchayat works in a manner similar to that of the Gram Panchayat. It is a self-monitoring system which works on every aspect in the village. To name a few: improving school and village infrastructure, finding innovative solutions to water problem, monitoring the proper functioning of school and ensuring all children go to the school.