On April 4, a group of children representing different regions of Tamil Nadu would meet the press in Chennai to spell out their manifesto. The manifesto brought under the banner of Federation of Children’s Movement for Right to Participation would essentially reiterate the basic rights they should enjoy as children but most often do not. They would make an old demand one more time: voices of children be given a hearing before schemes and policies are inked in for them.
Ahead of the big event, Chennai-based NGO Arunodhaya Centre for Street and Working Children maps out the details of the manifesto-drafting exercise. This exercise is conducted for not only Lok Sabha polls, but also Assembly and local-bodies elections.
This year, the preparations began in January and through several rounds of discussions, the manifesto was drafted. Children groups from 15 districts were involved.
