You have to awaken the soul of the country. Each step has created history, says Ram Nath Kovind
President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday highlighted woes of children living in rural areas, maintaining that it was difficult for them to seek redressal for acts of sexual abuse. He said these children face a hard time and that in an instance of abuse, at times, even their parents contribute towards keeping the acts of sexual abuse under wraps due to fear of getting outcast.
President was speaking at a march, undertaken to raise awareness against the menace of child abuse and trafficking, by Nobel Peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi's foundation. After covering over 12,000 km in 35 days, Satyarthi's 'Bharat Yatra', came to an end on Monday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. The march started on September 11 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and went up as far as Kashmir. During its entire course, it covered 22 states and Union Territories.
Kovind said if this movement succeeds then this would be the true nation-building. "Ek bhi bachcha agar asurakshit hai, to hum sab usme doshi hain (If even one child is unsafe, then we all are to blame)," he added.
"You have to awaken the soul of the country. Each step has created history," President said, adding that it is war against fear, apathy, inaction and silence.
Satyarthi said war against sexual abuse on children can only be won when there are legal deterrents in place and allocation of resources for children's well-keep. He said that if the exploitation of children stops now and there are no new cases, it would still take 10 years to dispose of all such cases pending in courts. In this Yatra, Satyarthi garnered support from all sections of the society through 300 marches across the country.
Satyarthi also proposed that a National Child's Tribunal be formed to tackle cases related to children.
"This body would be like the NGT, and would oversee effective and fast disposal of cases related to child abuse and assault, rehabilitation in cases of abuse and other related matters," he said. He also made recommendations of increasing India's budgetary allocation for children from the current 4 per cent, and that each ministry should set aside a special component of its budget for children. He also recommended that the Anti-Human Trafficking Law be passed soon.
The President said India is going to celebrate its 75th Independence in 2022 and "I urged Satyarthiji to prepare a roadmap for next five years for its complete eradication." Earlier on October 9 in Srinagar, Satyarthi said that injuring a child sends pain throughout humanity. Satyarthi appealed for protection of child rights, particularly their childhood and their education.
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 "President Ram Nath Kovind with Kailash Satyarthi")
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