Women and

Child Welfare
 Women Welfare
Why to consider women welfare?
• Women suffer in many ways because they are physically
weak and harassed
– For cultural reasons, domestic violence, mental torture, physical
work
• They are often denied of even their fundamental rights
• Gender discrimination exists in many parts of the world –
girl children are not sent to school, often not given even
enough food and women are not permitted to come out
of the house.
• Displacement causes special problems to women.
– When men go to other places in search of jobs, women are left
behind. They do not get any compensation. They will become
dependent on males for wages or they may have to take up less
decent jobs which are humiliating and give less income.
 International level
• United Nations Decade for Women (1975-
85)
• It held an international convention on the
elimination of all forms of Discrimination
Against Women, 1979
What Organizations are working for women?
• There is a need for more stringent laws
• These aspects are looked into in Ministry of Women and
Child development
– Works for education, family planning, health care and
awareness.
• Many women groups have formed which take up women
welfare issues
• There are legally constituted “women cells” to take care
of legal problems of women
• Displacement of women due to mining and associated
problems are taken care of by National Network for
Women and Mining” – 20 groups in different states
• NGO’s like Mahila Mandals – trying to create awareness
amongst women of remote villages about their rights.
CHILD WELFARE
What problems do children have?
• Out of 21
million born, 1
million are
abandoned
– Social and
economic
reasons
What problems do children have?
• Children are more
prone to diseases –
especially water
borne diseases
• Childhood cancer
rates are increasing
at the rate of 6%/year
• Toxic pollutants are
causing birth defects
What problems do children have?
• 20 million are estimated to be child
labours in India
– Some in hazardous industries
– Brass, match making, fireworks…
 Child labour

• Main cause is poverty

– They do not get nutritive food even
– They are often forced to work and not paid
well for their work
– Their working conditions are unhealthy
– They do not get any education
 Solution
UN General Assembly in 1959 adopted the “Declaration of the
Rights of a Child”
• It became INTERNATIONAL LAW in 1990
• The law defines the rights of children
– Survival, protection, development and participation
1. Right to survival: Good standard of living, good nutrition
and health
2. Right to protection: Freedom from exploitation, abuse and
inhuman treatment
3. Right to development: Access to education, early child care
and support, social security and right to leisure and
recreation
4. Right to participation: Freedom of thought, conscience and
religion and right to appropriate information
 Solution
World summit on children in 1990 discussed
the
Agenda for the well being of children – to
be achieved by the new millennium
India also signed to agree with it.
Ministry of Human Resource Development
has formulated the plan for child
development
 Strategic Plan for Child Development

• Priority is given for

– Health, education, nutrition, clean and safe drinking
water, sanitation and good environment
– Access to schooling, specially for girls
– Education including health and nutrition, diseases and
their causes
– Upgradation of home-based skills for girls,
– Mid-day meals scheme
– Low cost early childhood development activities