Campaign to ensure support for children without parental care

On International Day of Families, SOS Children’s Villages of India, a voluntary child care organisation, launched a campaign to bring to light the hardships faced by children without adequate parental care in India and evoke responses to ensure support for such children.

The NGO estimates that there are currently 2 crore children that do not receive adequate care because they have lost both or either of their parents or their families are unable to take care of them. “If not taken seriously with measures like strengthening the families, or providing abandoned children with a family-like environment in an alternate care home, this figure is estimated to rise to 2.4 crore by the year 2021,” the NGO said while launching the campaign.

“The need is urgent and requires responsible partnership from individuals and corporate besides continuous support from the government,” said Anuja Bansal, secretary general, SOS Children’s Villages of India.

Elaborating on the need to support such children, the NGO said that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in its preamble, recognises the family as the best environment for a child.

Ms. Bansal added that currently SOS India has 440 families under its umbrella that takes care of 26,000 children and it aims to build families for children so that they grow up with love, respect, dignity and security.

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