Workshop on ‘Building Child Friendly Cities in Telangana’ organized

The workshop had participants representing NGOs, Civil Society Networks, and teachers from schools, ChildLine 1098 representatives, District Child Protection Officers as well as professionals like counselors, child psychologists and architects.

Hyderabad: “Spaces are not merely geographic in nature, they carry an ethos, of memories, of history, of culture, of memories, of life lived and childhood cherished. This concept is destroyed in the face of the development of cities. They are losing their child-friendly nature and leaving the children with little to carry by way of a legacy,” said Dr. Shantha Sinha, former Chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Delivering the keynote address at a one-day consultation on building Child Friendly Cities in Telangana organized by the Centre for Economic and Social Studies and UNICEF, Hyderabad here on Wednesday, she said schools which had a thousand plus students, now has not more than a few hundred students while corporate and expensive institutions which offer but a marginal scope for recreation, and moral and life sciences education were filling up year after year.

The consultation was aimed at creating a platform to share insights and learning of diverse agencies engaged in working with children in cities to help build a better protective environment for child friendly cities in Telangana. The consultation focused on identifying issues and concerns related to good health and overall well-being of children in cities.

UNICEF, Hyderabad, Child Protection Specialist, Sonykutty George said child friendly cities were those which recognize the availability of services for the urban poor children. The CFCs should create dignifying space for children, he said, adding that space should be created for governance promoting child protection related interventions with active child participation.

The workshop had participants representing NGOs, Civil Society Networks, and teachers from schools, ChildLine 1098 representatives, District Child Protection Officers as well as professionals like counselors, child psychologists and architects.