Child Rights Group Protests against TV Reality Show

A recently launched TV reality show has drawn the ire of child rights activists whoy lodged a police complaint against the show, channel and sponsors.

The show, ‘Chota Champion’, telecast on Zee Telugu  channel every Sunday at 8.30 p.m., involving children aged 2 years to perform tasks in a limited time.

The Andhra Pradesh Balala Hakkula Sangham, has strongly condemned the show citing commercial exploitation of children violating child rights norms and rules. Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, the sangham president Atchyutha Rao said that children aged two years are subjected to hardships in the name of reality show.

‘’They are kept away from food and sleep for hours together by the organisers and the show involves picking up of snacks and chocolates but not eating them. Do children of this age know about reality shows, competition, prize or fame,” he asked.

A memorandum was submitted to police commissioner Anurag Sharma, saying tiny tots are put through mental and physical trauma throughout the selection process. Taking excerpts from the Child Rights Protection Act, he said, children below 8 years of age should not be exposed to entertainment related commercial programmes. ‘‘They  shall not be asked inappropriate questions. nor exposed to over-lighting, irritating cosmetics and more over children should not be put in such competition-based programmes,” he read out from the guidelines.