CHILDREN OF THE ISLANDS

Description

This book attempts to unfold the life experiences and perspectives of children in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and offers a comprehensive understanding about the social situations within the wider context. It also identifies areas of intervention for the state and civil society organizations for improving the lives of children in the Union Territory. Following the framework of child rights, in which children are seen as social actors/agents with rights and their own perspectives, the book captures voices of children in the local milieu. Engaging with administrative data and existing literature, the book makes a departure to delineate the situations in transition. The study explores varying issues and inequalities experienced by children cutting across age, gender, class and allied aspects and looks into the dimensions of right to survival, development, protection, and participation. The analysis points out interplay of the state as well as socio-economic and cultural factors of the isles embedded within the historical background in shaping the life situations of children. Hence joint efforts of the state, civil society and communities are proposed in order to create a child friendly environment wherein children are considered as active citizens with rights and responsibilities.  

Rita Panicker is the Founder Director of Butterflies, a non-governmental organization in New Delhi, working to protect & empower street connected & vulnerable children since 1989. She was a faculty member in the Women’s Studies Unit, at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and was also the Founder Member of MASHAL – Maharashtra Association for Social Housing. In 1990, Rita was appointed as a Consultant to UNICEF New York and Nigeria to assist UNICEF Nigeria office to formulate a national policy and programme for Children Especially in Difficult Circumstances (CEDC). Rita was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 1993 and has published several papers on child rights issues and also co-authored a study on children in conflict with law.

Jayaraj KP is a social work practitioner and researcher with an academic interest in the area of child rights, gender, masculinities, sexuality, and sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of male children. He holds a doctoral degree from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi for a thesis titled ‘Sexuality, Negotiating Masculinities and Politics in Contemporary Kerala’. He has served as the faculty at Amity University, Noida and published papers in peer-reviewed journals. Jayaraj has been working with Butterflies for ten years and has played diverse roles in the organization. He has contributed in building knowledge by carrying out researches, conceptualizing, developing & leading programmes and establishing monitoring, evaluation & learning systems for the organization.