NCPCR asks political parties to make child rights poll issue

NCPCR has written to all major political parties asking them to include a chapter in their election manifestos on protection of rights of children.
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Kushal Singh has issued the letter to the heads of all major political parties including Sonia Gandhi (Congress), Rajnath Singh (BJP), Mayawati (BSP), and Prakash Karat (CPI-M).
In the letter, Singh said that despite existing policies and institutions for implementation of child rights, the effective implementation of the legal and policy commitment, however, is still a challenge.
"Childrens' right to free and compulsory education, protection of children from sexual offences, elimination of child labour, prevention of child marriages are certain areas of concern which needs to be addressed," she said.

She also mentioned that providing protection to children of migrant workers, combating the skewed sex ratio and eliminating infanticide and female foeticide etc, are other areas which need focus and attention.
The NCPCR chairperson rued that a similar letter sent to all political parties by the panel before the Assembly polls that took place in many states between November and December last year had been ignored.
"I had addressed a letter to you on October 21, 2013, when Assembly election were to take place, with the request that your party should include the implementation of the rights of the children in the party's election manifesto.

"It is regretted that no reply to the above letter was received by the Commission," she said.