Child Rights and You

At 472 million, children account for 40% of India’s population. And yet, only 3.16% of the 2020 Union Budget was allocated to their development and welfare. In fact, the National Plan of Action for Children recommends that budgetary allocations for children should be 5% of the country’s GDP - India has been stagnant at 0.43% of GDP for the last two years.

India’s children thus battle some of the worst circumstances in the world.

An estimated 46 million children, between 6-18 years of age, do not go to school (RGI Census Population Projection 2016 and UDISE 2016-17)

• 33 million child labourers go to work instead of school (Census 2011)
• 1 of 3 child brides in the world is from India (Unicef 2014)
• 2 of 3 child deaths, below the age of 5, are caused by malnutrition (Unicef 2019)
• 7.4 Million children are still not immunized; the highest in the world (Unicef)
• There has been a 500% increase in crimes against children between 2008-2018 (NCRB 2018)

According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which was ratified by India in 1992, all children have fundamental rights which must be recognized by governments and citizens alike. Keeping that in mind, CRY works on 4 key areas:[2]

• Education (Right To Development)
• Health & Nutrition (Right To Survival)
• Safety & Protection (Right To Protection)
• Child Participation (Right To Participation)

Established in 1979 as Child Relief and You, CRY was started by Rippan Kapur who dreamt of ensuring happier childhoods for India’s children. Rippan chose to build CRY as an institution that not only inspired India’s citizens to discover their potential for action and contribute to the solution but also empowered local NGOs with the funds as well as the technical know-how to create lasting impact on the ground. Rippan Kapur passed away in 1994.[3]

CRY participated in the ‘Voice Of India’ campaign, as a part of the National Alliance for the Fundamental Right to Education (NAFRE), to propose a constitutional amendment to the government for free and compulsory education to all children. As a result of the ‘Voice of India’ campaign, NAFRE contributed towards bringing in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

CRY is a part of several international forums on children’s rights including Girls not Brides and the National Action and Coordination Group For Ending Violence Against Children (NACG-EVAC). NACG-EVAC is a national platform under the aegis of SAIEVAC which is an intergovernmental platform comprising eight SAARC countries.

In 2019-20, CRY has impacted the lives of over 6.8 lakh underprivileged children in India.

• 1,63,541 children in CRY project areas, between the ages of 6-18 years, in school
• 97% children in CRY project areas, under the age of 1 year, immunized
• 88% children in CRY project areas, under the age of 5 years, free from malnutrition
• 2,064 children in CRY project areas rescued from child labour, child marriage & child trafficking

CRY launches campaigns that amplify the voice of children and their rights.

• #YellowFellow: #YellowFellow is an award winning CRY campaign that mobilizes citizens to raise awareness for every child’s right to a happy childhood.[4] Launched in 2018, the campaign is a fun yet meaningful engagement activity where the public is encouraged to show their support for India’s children by becoming a #YellowFellow. To become a #YellowFellow, one would have to wear/use yellow socks in a unique, creative or quirky way and post a photo of themselves on social media tagging CRY and using the hashtag #YellowFellow. The campaign has reached 1.7 crore people across India and witnessed unique participation by 2300+ people including 73 celebrities and influencers.[5]

• #LearnNotEarn: CRY’s campaign for World Day Against Child Labour in 2018 and 2019 that helped raise awareness on the issue of child labour in India. The campaign was based on the idea that dreams don’t discriminate but means do and encouraged citizens to ensure that children are able to go to school instead of work.

• #ItsAGirlThing: CRY released the #ItsAGirlThing campaign on National Girl Child Day 2019; an awareness campaign that aimed to break the stereotypes associated with girls. With a strong focus on digital engagement the campaign brought together the idea that girls too can do anything, if given the right opportunity.

• #NotYet: #NotYet was CRY’s Women’s Day 2020 campaign that aimed to raise awareness on the issue of child marriage. The campaign highlighted how girls in India are forced to embrace womanhood by getting married at a very young age, resulting in a loss of their childhoods. It sensitized the public to come forward and help girls complete their education and chase their dreams instead.

In over 4 decades, CRY has received many awards in recognition of the work towards enabling better futures for underprivileged children.

• Most Trusted NGO (2018)
• One Of The Top 100 Nonprofits In The World (2018)
• Awarded to Puja Marwaha, CEO - CRY, For Social Innovation (2018)
• Best Multi Channel Campaign For A Cause (#YellowFellow 2018)
• ICAI CSR Award for Best CSR Project In Health & Education (2014)
• CFBP Jamnalal Bajaj Award For Fair Business Practices (2014)
• Quality Initiative Mission Award (2013)
• Citi Woman Leader Awarded To Puja Marwaha, CEO - CRY (2012)
• Fundraising Campaign Award (2011 & 2012)
• Lakshya Award (2009 & 2012)
• Indira Super Achiever Award (2003)
• Marketing Excellence Award For Social Awareness (2001)
• Viewers Choice Most Effective Ad Of the Year (1996)
• Citizen Of Bombay Award For Rippan Kapur (1991)

CRY was the first Indian NGO to lay emphasis on establishing full accountability and complete transparency with the help of annual reports even when it was not mandated by the law. All their financials and related reports are available for perusal on their website www.cry.org.

• Odisha State Child Protection Society
• Gopali Youth Welfare Society

• Official website