Child Protection and Child Rights

Semester and Year Offered: Semester-2, winter 2018

Course Coordinator and Team: Sunita Singh and Fariha Siddiqui

Email of course coordinator: fariha@aud.ac.in

Pre-requisites: None

Objectives:

The specific objectives of the course can be stated as follows:

• To review general conceptions about child and childhood (specifically with reference to the Indian social context);
• To familiarize with the rights perspective on childhood
• To begin engaging with different child rights and related legislations/policies in the Indian context
• To develop sensitivity and informed preparedness for working with young children in an educational context

Course Outcomes:

After completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Examine conceptions about child and childhood in Indian context
• Demonstrate understanding about the rights perspective on childhood
• Describe different child rights and related legislations/policies in the Indian context
• Prepare informed professionals for working with young children in an educational context

Brief description of modules/ Main modules:

Module 1: A Rights Perspective on Early Childhood Development

This module will focus on the conceptions of “child” and “child rights”. At the international levelthere are frameworks for child rights that also emphasise the field of early childhood care and education (ECCE). India is a signatory to Moduleed Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), 1989, which has set of measures intend to ensure and protect the well-being of the child. At the national level, ECCE has been addressed through a range of initiatives taken by Government of India. This module will develop a context to understand child rights and familiarise with the broad frameworks applicable to early childhood.

Module 2: Child Protection & Rights in India

This module will focus on the provisions for child protection in India. This will help students to understand the critical need to create a protective environment for young children where they are away from violence, exploitation, and unnecessary separation from family; and where laws, services, behaviours and practices minimize children’s vulnerability, address known risk factors, and strengthen children’s own resilience.

Assessment Details with weights:

Reading List:

1. Documentary: Babies (2010) (if available)
2. Who is a Child: childlineindia.org.in/child-in-india.htm
3. Kumar, K. (2016). Studying Childhood in India
4. Oxford Bibliographies: Smith, A. B. and Taylor, N. J. (2017). Children’s rights in early childhood education. http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756810/obo-9780199756810-0178.xml
5. What are child rights:http://childlineindia.org.in/child-protection-child-rights-india.htm
6. Fact sheet of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: https://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
7. UN Convention on Child Rights
8. Committee on the Rights of the Child. (2005). General Comment 7. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/docs/AdvanceVersions/GeneralComment7Rev1.pdf
9. Overview of issues with the help of the Childline Website, Constitution of India, NCPCR Website, HAQ Website,Searching for newspaper reports on status of child rights in India.
10. (Dreze, J. et. Al.) Focus on Children Under Six Report. (2006). Chapters 1 & 2
11. Documentary: Born in Brothel (if available)

ADDITIONAL REFERENCE:

1. Iravani, M.R. (2011). Child Abuse in India.Asian Social Sciences, 7(3), 150-153.
2. Lieten, G.K. (2002). Child Labour in India: Disentangling Essence and Solutions. Economic and  Political Weekly, 37(52), 5190-5195