BENGALURU: With just about a day left for Namma Bengaluru girl Kanaka (17) to make her speech in Parliament, many people associated with different organisations working for children are working overtime to get her prepared for the momentous occasion. She is flying to Delhi on November 19 and
the event is scheduled for November 20.
Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KCPCR) chairperson Kripa Alva has herself trained Kanaka, focusing mostly on her body language. “Kripa Alva is a good speaker and she is known for addressing children’s issues. The moment she got to know about Kanaka’s selection, she invited the girl to the commission office and trained her for three days,” said Gopinath, Managing Trustee of SPARSHA Trust where Kanaka is put up.
Speaking with Express, Kripa Alva said, “Kanaka is very confident of what she has to speak and my job was just to finetune her a bit on body language. I did not train her, I just helped her to be more confident.”
Another organisation, Child Rights Trust (CRT), has helped her familiarise herself with Acts and rules. Trust director Nagasimha G Rao said, “As Kanaka herself has suffered as a child labourer, she knew what to speak and what children want. But she was not familiar about child right violations, particular acts, laws and existing schemes for children in the country. We helped her with those things.”
With all the training and guidance, Kanaka is preparing quietly at Nisarga Grama in Hesaraghatta. “With the help and support of all, my confidence level has increased. I am not preparing for the occasion like I prepare for exams, I am putting my mind and heart into the issues that need to be addressed,” she says.
Kanaka has made note of issues which she wants to highlight. “I had some bad experiences in life. I did not enjoy my childhood. I was abused, forced to discontinue my education, became a child labourer and suffered silently for several years. There are thousands of kids like me and I want justice for them all. This is what I am going to ask for during my speech,” she said.
Kanaka felt that the slot of eight minutes which she has been given may not be enough to cover all issues. “But I have to make best use of it,” she says. Kanaka also plans to write a detailed letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about issues concerning children and violations of child rights.
ADVISED TO SPEAK IN KANNADA
Many people who have interacted with Kanaka have advised her to speak in Kannada there. After the address to Parliament, UNICEF will form a National Forum of these kids and organise group discussions and debate over the issue. “As she is comfortable in Kannada I have asked her to speak in Kannada during debate. It is easy to convey our feelings in the language in which we are comfortable,” said Kripa Alva, chairperson, KCPCR. Meanwhile, after Express published a report about Kanaka’s selection to address Parliament, many IT firms, NGOs and education institutions have been contacting SPARSHA Trust to invite her for felicitation