Hyderabad, November 20: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah today said the state government had initiated effective measures to protect child rights and empower women.
Launching the special edition of state of the World’s Children’s Report 2010 here to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Child, he said Andhra Pradesh had taken the lead in implementing the regulations adopted by the Indian Parliament with respect to prevention of Child marriages, Right to Education, Right to Information and Prevention of Child Labour.
He said the partnership between the state government and UNICEF was working towards concrete projects that focus on health, education, HIV/AIDS and child protection to adopt comprehensive approach towards women empowerment and improved service delivery.
Since its adoption by the UN General Assembly in 1989, the convention had been ratified by 193 countries, including India in 1992, and its principles had taken roots in regional, national and local legislatures, he said.
Chief Field Officer of UNICEF office for Andhra and Karnataka, Michel Saint-Lot said the convention on the rights of the child was the most ratified human rights treaty in history and transformed the way children were viewed and treated throughout the world. ”We are all aware that rights can be declared and policies formulated but unless the life of the child in the family and community is improved, all our efforts are meaningless,” he said.
The big challenge in the next 20 years was to firmly position the best interests of the children at the heart of all human activity.
”We realize that it is not just for the government but it is our collective responsibility to ensure every child’s rights to survival, development, protection and participation,” he added.
—–Agencies