Wise beyond her years

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Wise beyond her years

Monday, 23 September 2019 | Urvashi Sarkar

Wise beyond her years

For Pooja Pasi, a young fierce advocate of girls’ rights, it was incomprehensible that only boys were entitled to privileges. By Urvashi Sarkar

Nineteen-year-old, Pooja Pasi along with other children in the neighbourhood began a programme run by Committed Communities Development Trust (CCDT), a non-governmental organisation. She is a member of Child Protection Committee.

Her knowledge about civic concerns and challenges that the residents of the slum face are beyond her age. Being a girl, she is passionate about the rights of women. “There is only one playground in our area. Earlier only boys played there. They would drink and smoke and even the lighting was poor. Parents did not allow their daughters to go near the ground as they were concerned about their safety. The girls themselves did not wish to go there as they did not feel safe,” the teenager says.

To Pooja, a young fierce advocate of girls’ rights, it was incomprehensible that only boys should have the access to the only playground in the vicinity of the area. She tried to resolve and address the issue. And as a member of the Child Protection Committee, she took it as her responsibility to write to the municipal corporation requesting for installation of lights so that at least the ground would be well-lit. “We also met the police and requested them to patrol the area. They understood our problems and now there is a police van stationed near the ground every day,” she says.

Hema Pasi, Pooja’s mother, was initially apprehensive of her daughter’s involvement with the activities concerning girls’ rights. But then, Pooja’s actions began to bear fruit. Now, Hema is a staunch supporter of her daughter.

“Initially, my mother was opposed to the initiatives but when I explained to her that girls too have the right to access public spaces just like the boys, she understood the cause for which I was fighting. I convinced her to help me. In turn, she convinced other parents to encourage their daughters to participate,” Pooja says.

Gradually, the other girls started to notice the positive changes that were taking place in and around the locality, especially with regard to the playground. The girls were finally able to use the ground. “I achieved my real victory when I helped in organising a kho-kho tournament for girls at the ground,” she says beaming with pride.

The tournament was a success. Many girls took part in it. When the boys from the locality wanted to participate in the tournament, Pooja and other members of the committee organised a separate one for them.

“I feel very proud because it was through my agency that girls can now play at the playground, which was earlier occupied exclusively by boys,” Pooja says with a grin on her face.

As a member of two committees under the Child Protection programme, Pooja takes part in various community activities. “I assist in children’s school admissions, Aadhaar card registration while mobilising the women of the community whenever we need to raise or respond to any issue or put forth requests or demands to the municipality,” she says.

Concerned with children’s rights, especially those of girls’, she is critical and questions, “Boys are always better treated than girls, which is why it seems that the two have different rights. But in reality, they have the same ones. Then, why should girls not be treated at par with boys?”

She has her future charted out. “I want to be in a position of responsibility and help people to the best of my ability. I want to be a bank manager” says Pooja who is a Bachelor of Commerce student.

—Charkha Features

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