Street theatre presses for child rights

Pakistan Telegraph (IANS) Sunday 5th February, 2012

It was a riot of creativity and laughter at the Dilli Haat here Sunday evening, but underneath all the gaiety, the street plays being performed asked some very hard questions on the rampant negligence of child rights in the society.

'Bol Jamoore' is a Child Rights and You (CRY) initiative for raising awareness about underprivileged children throughout the country.

"Bol Jamoore provides a platform for the privileged youths to engage, get involved and more importantly, build an understanding about the issues faced by the underprivileged children," CRY regional director Soha Moitra said.

"Theatre is a powerful medium through which children can effectively communicate their fears, hopes and desires," she added.

A play presented by Gawaah, a Delhi University based group, portrayed the angst of a child who worked at a tea stall.

Summing up his character beautifully, the actor who portrayed the child, lamented that "in the sips of the tea I serve, the society sips my life-blood".

In another play, children from Pahal, an NGO working for emancipation of marginalised sections, asked the audience why despite all the so called "advancements", the society was still biased against the girl child.

That none of the children from Pahal were more than 15 years old, added a poignancy to their questions, despite all the laughter that followed their comic acts.

Others focussed on child rights issues like domestic violence, poverty and education.

According to CRY data, less than half of the 193 million Indian children between the ages of six and 14, go to school and more than 50 percent of Indian children face child rights violations on a regular basis.