Gravittus Foundation and UNICEF organized a roundtable conference on Child Health Development in Pune, India, with the aim of raising awareness and discussing ways forward for child health and development, children’s literacy, and youth participation in water management. The conference was attended by several dignitaries, including Dr. Neelam Gorhe, Deputy Chairperson of Maharashtra Legislative Council, and Rajeshwari Chandrasekar, Chief of Field Office at UNICEF Maharashtra. The ‘Good Touch Bad Touch’ initiative, started by Usha Kakade, Founder President of the Gravittus Foundation, was appreciated by all the participants.
The conference focused on the relevance and seriousness of child health and development and its global impact. Participants engaged in a free-wheeling conversation, followed by an action plan to create wider awareness on the subject. Dr. Neelam Gorhe advised that the Department of Child Welfare and Education implement the ‘good touch, bad touch’ initiative with UNICEF and Gravittus Foundation across Maharashtra. Gorhe added that the Juvenile Justice Act and other child safety programs should be made available in Marathi.
Rajeshwari Chandrasekhar outlined the four sections of children’s rights: the right to survival, protection, participation, and development. According to statistics, less than 50 out of 100 girls who joined Std I reach Std V, making survival a crucial right for children. UNICEF is launching a reading campaign to tackle this issue.
Usha Kakade said that health, development, children’s literacy, and youth participation in water management were the primary discussion points at the conference. The ‘Good Touch, Bad Touch’ initiative has so far reached four lakh children. Kakade announced that the foundation would hold conferences in Solapur, Kolhapur, and Nagpur in three months with the help of UNICEF.
The conference included a film screening elaborating on the rights of children to survival, development, protection, and participation. The conference facilitator was UNICEF Communication Specialist, Swati Mohapatra, and Leena Saldanha compared the conference. Sanghmitra Khore gave the vote of thanks.
