Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Children raise their concern with Governor

Published in Central Chronicle December 21, 2006

By Our Staff Reporter
Bhopal, Dec 19: AIR with support from UNICEF as part of International Children's Day of broadcasting celebration had organized an event at Bhopal wherein more than 250 children had participated. It was an opportunity for the to showcase their talents. The whole programme was managed by children. Prior to this on the International Children's Day of Broadcasting that is December 10, 2006 full radio station was managed by children.

Governor Dr Balram Jakhar was the chief guest of the occasion. Children asked him numerous questions relating to child labour, education, HIV/ AIDS, which he candidly answered.
He is his address said that children are future of this country and need is to protect them give them all they deserved. The future of country lies in their hands and we need to overcome poverty, child labor and make sure that ever child goes to school.

Hamdi El Bashir State Representative UNICEF office fro Madhya Pradesh spoke about the theme of this years ICDB which is 'Unite for Children Unite against AIDS'. He added that children affected and impacted by HIV/AIDS have rights and they need to be protected. He spoke on the impact of HIV/AIDS on children and about the campaign. He added that the campaign calls for the young people of Madhya Pradesh and the rest of India to become alive to the cause of children affected by HIV/AIDS, to alert society to the reality that HIV/AIDS is robbing tens of millions of children of their childhood. He present a copy of UNICEF's State of World's Children report 2007 to the Governor.

Ms Salina Singh Project Director Madhya Pradesh State Aids Control Society, Mrs. Asha Shukla, Station Director All India Radio, Anil Gulati Communication Officer UNICEF were also present. Children from Bhopal, Guna, Shivpuri and Hoshangabad participated in the event.

http://www.centralchronicle.com/20061220/2012021.htm

Youth for noble cause

Indo Asian News ServiceBhopal, December 19, 2006

Youth for a noble causeUnite for Children, Unite Against AIDS aims at engaging the young to prevent the spread of the diseaseThe programme aims to achieve results in preventing parent-to-child transmission, providing pediatric treatment to affected children and providing treatment to affected childrenThe programme is in association with Unicef and the Madhya Pradesh State AIDS Control Society

Hundreds of students in Madhya Pradesh took part in an AIDS awareness campaign and vowed to do their bit to control the fatal virus.The students tied suraksha bandhan (protection bands) on their wrists on Sunday to symbolise their awareness of HIV and their commitment to spread awareness on HIV and AIDS.

The students were participants in a workshop organised by the Makhanlal Chaturvedi University of Journalism in Bhopal as part of a ‘Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS’ drive aimed at engaging the young to prevent the deadly disease. The campaign, in association with the Madhya Pradesh State AIDS Control Society (MPSACS) and Unicef, aims to achieve measurable results in preventing parent-to-child transmission, providing pediatric treatment for HIV children, preventing HIV infection among the youth and providing treatment for affected children. “We need to be equipped with the right knowledge and young people can help spread awareness and the right information,” said Unicef state representative Hamid El Bashir. He said that worldwide millions of children, adolescents and youngsters are at risk and in need of protection. Across the world millions of children under the age of 15 have lost one or both parents to AIDS. “More disturbing is that HIV/AIDS is now engulfing the ‘productive population’ in the age group of 20-40 years. With the exposure teens and youth are getting through television, they have started experimenting with sex at an early age, further aggravating the problem,” said an MPSACS official

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/7087_1872703,00870000.htm

Empowering of women benefits children

Central Chronicle, December 14, 2006
By Our Staff Reporter
Bhopal, Dec 13: UNICEF's annual State of the World's Children report for 2007 Women and Children: The Double Dividend of Gender Equality, was released yesterday lauds India for investing in women's leadership. It details the positive impact that India has seen from the reservation of one third of Panchyat positions for women leading to significant benefits for children.

The report argues that providing girls with an education is the first critical step on the road to empowerment, but it is not the only one. Women must be given the opportunity to fully participate in decision-making regarding their own lives and the lives of their children. To do so, they must have equality and voice in the household, in the workplace and in the political sphere. India can not progress leaving half its population behind.

Sharing the report in UNICEF's state office for Madhya Pradesh UNICEF's State Representative Hamid El Bashir said this is imperative that all stakeholders must move from realm of words to realm of concrete action. He quoted the report which says that 'All obstacles to gender equality, regardless of origin, must be dismantled so that development can move forward... failure to secure equality for all has deleterious consequences for the moral, legal and economic fabric of nations' He added that the report lays out seven milestones to achieve parity: education, financing, legislation, legislative quotas, women empowering women, engaging men and boys, and improved research and data.

The latest India data reflects the global scenario mapped out in the report and shows that despite great strides in positive policies, India still faces a declining girl to boy child sex ratio in 80% of all districts, a high number of early marriages with nearly half of all girls marrying before the legal age of 18, and high infant and maternal mortality rates. These are all directly linked to attitudes towards women and their lack of access to basic services.
Also present at the launch in Delhi was, Sharmila Tagore, renowned actor and UNICEF National Goodwill Ambassador, said "the formula is: Invest in women. The promise is a double dividend - a dividend for children, a dividend for adults. Invest in women when they are young infants and girls, invest in women in their prime of youth, invest in women when they are at their productive best."

http://www.centralchronicle.com/20061214/1412024.htm

Madhya Pradesh students campaign against AIDS

Bhopal, Hundreds of students in Madhya Pradesh took part in an AIDS awareness campaign and vowed to do their bit to control the fatal virus.The students tied ’suraksha bandhan’ (protection bands) on their wrists Sunday to symbolise their awareness of HIV and their commitment to spread this awareness.The students were in a workshop organised by the Makhanlal Chaturvedi University of Journalism here as part of a ’Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS’ drive aimed at engaging the young to prevent the deadly disease.The campaign, in association with the Madhya Pradesh State AIDS Control Society (MPSACS) and Unicef, aims to achieve measurable results in preventing parent-to-child transmission, providing pediatric treatment for HIV children, preventing HIV infection among the youth and providing treatment for affected children."We need to be equipped with the right knowledge and young people can help spread awareness and the right information," said Unicef state representative Hamid El Bashir here. He said that worldwide millions of children, adolescents and youngsters are at risk and in need of protection. Across the world millions of children under the age of 15 have lost one or both parents to AIDS. "More disturbing is that HIV/AIDS is now engulfing the ’productive population’ in the age group of 20-40 years. With the exposure teens and youth are getting through television, they have started experiencing sex at an early age, further aggravating the problem," said a MPSACS official.

UNICEF stresses on right knowledge on AIDS

UNICEF stresses on right knowledge on AIDSBhopal December 18, 2006 4:36:08 AM IST
Equipping youngsters with the right knowledge will help spread AIDS awareness and also accurate information regarding the dreaded ailment, says UNICEF State Representative Hamid El Bashir.

''Millions of children, adolescents and youth across the globe are in the path of the pandemic, at risk and in need of protection. Beginning with the family, the community, social workers, students and media professionals need to combat the spread of this disease,'' he said at a day-long workshop here, as per a release.

As part of the 'Unite for Children Unite against AIDS' drive and to help engage young people in an effort to prevent HIV/AIDS, the Makhanlal Chaturvedi University of Journalism, with support from the Madhya Pradesh State Aids Control Society (MPSACS) and UNICEF, organised the workshop with students of the Master of Journalism course.
Mr Bashir briefed the students about the campaign that was launched in October 2005 to mobilise voices on the impact of HIV/AIDS on children.

MPSACS Deputy Director Shradha Bose spoke on the issue of the three 's' -- stigma, silence and shame -- associated with the ailment and how, with an open mind, they could be overcome.
''Information imparted at this meet will help empower you with the right knowledge and you not only can contribute when you enter the profession, but also even now by talking about it with your peers in your neighborhood, college etc. You can play a role that is not just rhetoric but strong action,'' UNICEF Communication Officer Anil Gulati told the students. Gandhi Medical College Assistant Professor Brajendar Mishra explained the technical aspects and took the students through the history of the disease, the release added.
UNI AC RL KP2110