A place for children to reach out and protect themselves and others
It is our primary responsibility to support, protect and empower our children, many of whom continue to face physical, emotional and sexual abuse on a daily basis. Our realization that we need to reach out to as many children as possible and help them find a way to seek help has led us to partner with Child Helpline (1098) and UNICEF. Aarti has been the district nodal agency for 1098 in Kadapa since 2012 and has conducted 2000+ workshops across the district. We have reached out to every school in Kadapa and Annamayya districts to mobilize the children and empower them with knowledge to help themselves and others across YSR and Annamayya districts.
Mission: To create a 24/7 hotline for children in distress in Kadapa. CHILDLINE receives calls about child rights abuses, like missing children, child labor, child marriage, sexual abuse, children needing shelter, trafficking etc. We will ensure that a CHILDLINE worker will reach the child within 60 minutes of a call, and offer help.
Implementation/Impact: Aarti led a mobile CHILDLINE Awareness drive in Kadapa, in order to spread awareness of CHILDLINE and services offered. A van showcasing CHILDLINE and its toll free number drove through all major villages in Kadapa. All along the route, the VFT CHILDLINE staff handed out pamphlets, put up posters and answered questions in order to spread awareness about this resource.
Aarti was identified as a “Child HelpLine 1098 nodal organization” for Kadapa district since 16th of April, 2012 and is actively involved in the Advocacy of protection of child rights. Whenever there is an instance of child rights violation, our volunteers visit the site, rescue the victim and provide a way forward through the allied agencies involved in the intervention. We also train the allied systems on new acts, implementation and enforcement (JJ Act stakeholders, ICDS, Police, Revenue, CWC, JJB)
Child related issues:
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Exploitation
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Child abuse - sexual, emotional, physical
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Child Marriages
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Corporal punishment
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Beggary
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Substance abuse addiction
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School dropouts
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Child labour
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Abandonment
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Runaway / missing
2000+
Workshops Conducted
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1600+
Child Marriages Prevented
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1950+
Children Rescued from Abuse
The activities related to the issues listed above are conducted and executed under the umbrella of CHILDLINE and documented. Every year we conduct and document a random survey of at least 1 lakh people, of atrocities against children. CHILDLINE Aarti oversees the operations of collaborators, sub centres, railway child help desks - staff capacity building, training, monitoring of their operations. The Childline Advisory Board (CAB) established in 2016 - conducts quarterly review meetings with district officials - DLSA, Police, Revenue, Education, ICDS, DCPU, DD - Social Welfare, ZP Chairperson, Municipal Commissioners, District Coordinators of Gurukuls, District child protection committees DCPC’s - to ensure that child rights are not violated.
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District Child Labour Task Force - Aarti is a member since 2014, as nodal director, and responsible for - eradication of child labour through operations like MUSKAAN and SMILE.
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Child marriages - prevention and monitoring committee - since 2012, 5000+ girls were rescued from child marriages.
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Aarti has conducted 3-day mindfulness workshop for ICDS supervisors in Kadapa district in September 2021 by Global Mindfulness Coach, Dr. Indumathi Ravishankar.
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Education monitoring committee - Aarti is a member of the committee to monitor and implement the admission of the rescued children into schools.
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Swachh Bharat - Akkayapalli regional home is the CCI identified venue to execute Swachh Bharat Abhigyan.
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H.T.Parekh foundation sponsored support of covid rehabilitation of 60 families.