A rare event for a constructive future change by Save the Children

The renowned organization Save the Children, arranged a workshop at the Indian Medical
Association Hall at Tilak Road, Pune on dated 17th December 2015 where all the well-known
personalities of child rights, government officers concerned with the rescue of destitute children,
eminent lawyers and prominent journalists were gathered on a common platform. The aim of the
conference was to sensitize the media houses for the better and constructive reporting in the
cases of crime against children and the crimes related to children.
The motive of arranging this workshop or conference was the need of the hour because in
the recent past many media houses have been booked for the violation of Juvenile Justice Act
while reporting of Juvenile crimes. The activists also believe that the media should be more
sensitive towards reports against children with legal conflict because many a times they cross the
boundaries to justify the storyline or to support their say or to make the story look more authentic
in the process the identity of the child in question is revealed. The lawyers, who were also a
part of the discussion, opined that the amended law is very strong if considered and is abided by,
in the right way. They, however, also agreed that the prosecution & conviction rate of juvenile
cases is exceptionally low in India. The need of the present scenario was assessed and the high
profile experts made common conclusions for the betterment of the way in which the cases were
reported. The lacunae were discussed with equal enthusiasm so that finding solutions and
avoiding mishaps became the center stage notion.
The workshop was chaired by the eminent Child Rights Activist Dr. Yamini Adbe. The
noted speaker from Child Rights was Dr. Anuradha Sahasrabuddhe, the executive director of
Childline, Pune; Legal panel experts were Advocate Supriya Kothari and Human Right Activist
Advocate Rama Sarode; CWC members were Nakul Kate and Poornima Gadiya. The panel of
journalists consisted of a galaxy of distinguished names like Mr. Keshav Sathe, Mr. Arun Khore,
Mrs. Pratibha Chandran, Mr. Arun Mhetre, Mr. Yogesh Sadhwani, Mr. Vaibhav Sonavane, Mr.
Mandar Gonjari, Mr. Nazim Mulla, Mr. Mukund Parandwal and Ms. Chaitrali Deshmukh. It was
a never before event in history of Pune where all the renowned personalities related to the
destitute childrens welfare gathered on single forum to discuss and search for a solution for a
vital topic of juveniles with legal conflicts.
The recommendations of the panel discussion will be sent to the concerned ministries,
Child Rights commission, concerned chief secretaries so that the situation can improve. Dr.
Yamini Adbe attributed there are constant life threats to the activists and the journalists as well
while reporting facts and fighting for cases of serious nature. Both parts of the society need
protection as the recent past has witnessed daylight murders of activists and media persons alike
and yet no stringent law or act is made for their protection. She quoted The paths may be
different but the aims and objectives of both the representatives is the same. The kids are not
only the future of the society but they also form a major part of the present population. They
need care, protection and a safe & happy environ. Society should take cognizance of it.