A PROPOSAL TO ASHA MIT BY THE CONCERNED FOR WORKING CHILDREN (CWC) - EMPOWERING MARGINALISED RURAL YOUTH & CHILDRENIN KARNATAKA -

II Details of Proposed Project

  1. Title of the proposed Project

Namma Bhoomi: The economic, socio-cultural, and civil rights based empowerment of rural children and youth in Karnataka with a special emphasis on the most marginalised.

  1. Need for this Project

India has the distinction of being the first in many. She is the largest democracy in the world. With forty percent of her 1 billion populations being children aged 0-18, India has the largest young population in the world (Planning Commission, 2005). The problem of hunger persists in India with over 200 million people lacking access to enough food to meet their basic nutritional needs. Over 50% of the children in the country are malnourished and of those, about 20% are severely malnourished. According to UNDP's millennium development goal report for 2008, though there is a clear decrease in the rate of poverty, yet because of the increasing cost of living and inflation, there is an increase in the extent of hunger, malnutrition and maternal and infant deaths. (

Since independence, India has witnessed a marked increase in its human development index. Yet with lob-sided development and impact of global phenomenon, India has a long way to achieve the full potent of its young population. Access to good quality and appropriate education is still a distant dream to a significant number of its children. Besides large number of children being out of school, families are faced with acute poverty and rights violations. Majority of India’s population live in villages, and about 80% of the Indian population share 20% of its resources (Planning Commission, 2005). This indicates the level of poverty in India. There is high level of unemployment and underemployment. Even the educated fail to find jobs.

In India, close to 17 percent (21 million) of the primary school age children (6-10 years) are out of school. Among them 9.5 million are male and 11.2 million are female. Primary school net attendance rates (NAR) are highest in urban areas and among children from the richest households.
Fewer children continue their education at the secondary level. National Family Health Survey conducted in 2005 and 2006 shows that only 46 percent of all children of secondary school age (11-17 years) are out of secondary school. The data also indicates a clear gender discrimination in education. Of the total number of children attending secondary schools, 58% are boys and only 42% are girls. Further the survey indicated that boys and children from urban areas are more likely to be in secondary school than girls and children from rural areas. The survey also revealed that 71% of the children from poorest 20% households were out school. (National Family and Health Survey, 2005-06). In India, 1.7 million infants die every year and an additional 1 million die before they reach their fifth birthday. More than 64% of infant deaths occur in their first month of life and a majority of them die in their first week. The main killers: asphyxia, premature birth, diarrhoea, pneumonia and other respiratory infections. Around 30% of newborn babies have low birth weight and therefore face high risk of death (

Majority of Indian population live in the villages and are predominantly agriculturists. However agriculture and allied occupations have suffered badly in the last 2 decades, with no other alternatives before the farmer. Prices of agricultural products are very unsteady and labour market is very volatile. Lands have been fragmented and hence agriculture and other rural occupations have become non-viable.

This has forced large numbers of children to labour. According to the 2001 national census, there are 12.6 million economically active children in the age group of 5-14 in India and 822,615 in the state of Karnataka. According the national labour ministry the unemployment rate in India is 7.2%. However this does not take into account underemployment and do not include large population that are migrant. Hence the real rate of unemployment would be much higher.

Families have also become very fragile and children are faced with the brunt of breaking up of value systems. Children have been abandoned and orphaned. Besides being exposed to cruelties and abusive situations, they also enter into conflict with law. There are about 44 million destitute children and 12.44 million children who are orphans in the country. According to UNICEF estimates, there are 11 million street children in India. In 2004 alone 31,000 children were apprehended under the Juvenile Justice Act (Crime in India, 2004). Children are also subjected all kinds of abuse – physical abuse and violence, sexual abuse, corporal punishment, alcoholism, drug abuse, child marriage, etc. There have been 9473 cases of crimes against children such as kidnapping and abduction, abandonment, buying of girls for prostitution, immoral trafficking, child rape, murder, etc. in the year 2004 alone. It is estimated there are about 1.25 million child sex workers in the country. (Ministry of Women and Child Development, India, 2007).

These have resulted in extreme form of poverty – political, economic, social, cultural and environmental. People’s movements have been systematically fragmented with by both the political structures and international bodies, especially with the formation of ‘Self Help Groups’ that are de-politicised and the promotion of an aid culture aid that increases dependency of the most marginalised. The poor and the marginalised have been denied any participation in any real democracy. The marginalised groups are being denied even their social and cultural identity with an attempt towards mainstreaming. Corporate entities are dominating and controlling the governance structures so much so that the direction of political governance is often being dictated by corporate bodies.

An outcome of this lop-sided development is the increase in the number of communities that are marginalised politically, economically, socially, culturally and environmentally. Internal migration of unorganised, unskilled and semi-skilled labourers has been on the increase. Rural-rural migration is mostly undertaken by poorer people, as it requires less investment. This is the most common form of movement within India - 53.3 million, accounting for 60% of all intra-state migration, and 27% of all interstate migration (National Census, 2001). Rural-rural labour migration is the least regulated form of migration – there are almost no laws applicable to this segment of labour (Deshangkar 2004).

Imbalanced progress with great thrust urban development has resulted in neglect of rural areas and needs of the rural population. Sources of livelihood and employment opportunities have become very limited, forcing people to migrate into city/urban areas for any kind jobs that help them earn. The governments, both national and state have failed to address the needs of the unorganised migrant labour. Though the government of India introduced the Unorganised Workers Social Secuity Bill, 2005, the parliament has not had the commitment to pursue it so far.

According to government estimates, in 2007 there were nearly 220.1 million people living below poverty line. Nearly 21.1% of the rural population and 15% of the urban population of India exists in difficult physical and financial predicament. At the beginning of the new millennium, 260 million people in the country did not have incomes to access a consumption basket, which defines the poverty line. Of these, 75 per cent were in the rural areas. India is home to 22 per cent of the world’s poor. (10th Five Year Plan (2002-2007

According to the 2001 Census, the total migrant population in the country was 314.5 million. Agriculture accounted for 211 million and the rest 103.5 million are employed in the non-agriculture sectors. Some estimates suggest that the total number of seasonal migrants in India could be in the range of 30 million (Srivastava 2005) Such migrants work in agriculture, plantations, brick kilns, quarries, construction sites and fish processing. In rural areas self employment is the main activity followed by casual work with 33.4 per cent male migrant workers and 44.2 per cent of female migrant workers in 1999-00. (National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector).

As of 2004-05 Karnataka had an estimate poverty ration of 17%. The total slum based population was 1,402,971 (Males – 714,413 and Females – 688,558). The number of marginal workers in Karnataka was 4,170,032 (National Census, 2001). In 1999-00, about 27% of the state’s population was migrant. In Udupi district there were 70,886 marginal workers in 2001. However, these figures increased rapidly in the last 6 years.

The unorganised migrant labourers are discriminated in multiple ways. They are economically marginalised, as they have no income security and little power to fight for improvement in their wages or in their work conditions.They are marginalised politically as they are not recognised as local residents, and their citizenship rights are denied to them. They do not have voting rights during elections in the areas of their current residence. Migrants rely on informal/private systems of support and access to services rather than formal government systems – which are also constantly under threat.They are socially marginalised. They suffer disrupted social networks, and general exclusion on the basis of their marginal status.They are viewed as outcasts by the rest of the society, though their services are critical for the maintenance of the civic life.

The northern regions of Karnataka are the main feeder area for internal migrants into Udupi and Bangalore. The northern Karnataka is very underdeveloped – they suffer from drought, land degradation and little industry. Coastal Karnataka, including Udupi district, has a number of natural advantages, proximity to the ports and transport infrastructure, high rainfall and a higher level of human development. Bangalore is an international metro providing immense opportunities. Most migrant labourers move to Coastal Karnataka and Bangalore in Karnataka.

A sample study conducted by CWC in 2006-07 in Udupi district on unorganised migrant labourers is an eye opener on their situation. The study covered 2378 families, with a population of 9108. There were 5509 people above 18 and 3599 below 18. While 46 percent of the population were men, 54 percent were women. Both men and women are engaged in various unskilled and semi-skilled activities, such as coolie labour, construction labour, loading and unloading, beggary, masonry, etc. Many of them are engaged as daily wage in laying roads, laying cable, etc. Their monthly income varies from a mere one hundred rupees to Rs. 4000. Major portion (36 percent) among them earn between Rs. 1000 to 2000 per month. One of their challenges is that they do not have work regularly. Only 37.33 percent of the working population have work regularly.

Among children whose families were covered in the study, about 47.2 percent are out of school, engaged in various activities such as domestic work in one’s own family, coolie labour, paid domestic work, labour in hotel, construction labour, etc. The reasons for their dropping out of school are varied, such as financial difficulties at home, lack of interest in studies, inability to cope up with schooling due to migration, as they move from place to place, etc.

CWC has been enabling children of the migrant labour communities, out of school children, child workers and other children who are marginalised – orphans, those in need of care and protection, those subjected to abuse and violence - with an appropriate education and professional training since the last 15 years. Namma Bhoomi, the regional resource centre, has also been providing short-term courses to children, youth and adults, especially women in the community on various livelihood skills. The children, who attend the residential programme, have acquired an all round democratic education. Their education has been based on experience-based learning.

Over 1500 children and young people have been equipped with good quality education and professional skills and supported to pursue a quality livelihood. These children come from different parts of Karnataka, especially the coastal Karnataka, Bangalore and NorthKarnataka. Being a state recognised Fit Person Institution, Namma Bhoomi, has been able to respond to the needs of the state, providing care and protection to children who come through the legal mechanism.

The children who return to their communities after their education have transformed their communities. They are rooted in democratic value systems and demonstrate strength of character. They have proved to be change agents in the community, influencing the youth in community. They have become part of the local governance systems and brought in strong democratic values and practices into local governance. They have been ambassadors of positive change.

  1. Goals

The purpose of this programme is to promote an integrated rights based education and development model that addresses one group of factors identified as causing vulnerability to children in India; Rural to Urban migration for economic reasons and the effects on the fulfilment of the rights of the child, both in urban and rural settings.

The programme seeks to address both root causes (economic and political poverty) and effects of rural to urban migration (on child and human rights; child labour, alcoholism, poverty, child marriages) through integrating enhanced awareness of rights, political entitlements and community strengths with Increased livelihood capacities.

Objectives of the Project:

  • To equip young people (15years and above) with an appropriate professional education that comprises both vocational and academic components to enable them to be economically stable, innovative, enterprising and productive;
  • To improve the social and economic conditions of rural children and their families in 147 Panchayats of rural Karnataka, by Year 5 and sustained beyond
  • To empower children and young people with a meaningful education that provides them with the opportunities to experience, and thereby, nurture and enhance rights based democracy and political decentralisation.
  • In the long term, enable a transformation in the political culture and practice of local governments through the active participation of young people as members of mainstream local governments and other statutory bodies.
  • To Build a network of organisations and institutions promoting democratic education of children and youth in rural areas
  • To Build a network of local governments practising and promoting participatory democracy and decentralisation.

Values and Culture:

  • All the above will be accomplished in the spirit of Gandhian values and principle of non-violence (ahimsa), need based development and self-sufficiency (swaraj).
  • It will also promote the culture that is eco-friendly, non discriminatory and strengthens decentralisation and rights based participatory democracy and in all spheres of governance.

Outcome:

1.Each year, from Year 2, 100 former or potential working children (i.e. those with significantly below average attendance rates and with families suffering acute economic poverty) graduate from alternative/appropriate education models

2. Improvements in the direct and sustained representation of children and community representatives (including women) and increased influence of children and community representatives (including women) on decision making in Panchayat local governments and communities, by Year 3.

3. Significant increase in the number of economically active youth (+ 18 years), males and females within the programme locations, from Year 3

  1. How its goals will promote democratic objectives

The project reflects core democratic principles and values of the project are in harmony with those of.

  • The project will provide access to meaningful education for marginalised children and youth in the rural areas of Karnataka;
  • The project will work towards stopping exploitative migration of youth in search of employment to cities by creating new employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in rural areas.
  • The project will contribute to the self-sustainability of village communities and strengthen democratic structures at the local level.
  • The project is built on the Gandhian principle of ‘village as a unit of self governance’.
  • Its graduates will be supported to find employment or start their micro-enterprises in the rural areas.
  • The project will build a network of like-minded organisations and institutions such as the RUDSETI, rural ITIs, JSSs and others that are committed to democracy, rural development and empowerment of the most marginalised.
  • The project will strengthen participatory democracy and decentralisation in local governance, and enable people’s participation in Gram Panchayats and other structures of local governance.
  1. Justification for the project (What will be its benefits)
  • Rural Children and Young Persons, especially those from the most marginalised communities will be empowered with high quality comprehensive and appropriate education that enables them to be proficient in at least:
  • Two languages
  • 10th Grade
  • One vocation
  • Music, dance, theatre or art
  • One handicraft
  • Economically Self-sufficient Young People – gainfully employed or self-employed in rural areas engaged in enterprises that are ------
  • Provide life skills education, which include management skills, banking, communication, marketing and entrepreneurial skills.
  • The direct and immediate outcome of the project will be the improvement in the quality of lives of the graduates. They will acquire a greater level of economic independence and a higher standard of life with enhanced economic options.
  • This will have a ripple effect in order to generate more occupations in the rural areas and will contribute to the retardation of rural-urban migration.
  • be equipped with education and awareness on sexuality, reproduction, gender, HIV/AIDS and substance abuse.
  • They will experience a non-discriminatory, non-hierarchical, child sensitive and gender sensitive environment – which they will be encouraged to imbibe and later emulate in their own homes and communities.
  • They will have opportunities to understand and experience participatory democracy through the Makkala Panchayat (Children’s Gram Panchayat). Through this they will gain a practical understanding of representational, accountable and informed democracy both in theory and application in real-life decision-making.
  • They will learn about and practice resource management and eco-friendly practices such as rain-water harvesting, development of seed banks, vermin-culture, organic farming, dairying etc.
  • It will also provide them a stable economic base that include social security and cultural rootedness,
  • The project in the long term will have a lasting impact on the community, encourage accountable leadership and a vibrant democracy.
  1. Coverage of area/sections of population/No. of persons (as relevant)

Project location:Namma Bhoomi, CWC’s Regional Resource Centre at Kundapura, Udupi district, at the foothills of Western Ghats.