About your Organization
Spandana Cultural Organization for Progressive Education (SCOPE) is founded by a group of socially conscious individuals in 1990 and registered as a non-profit voluntary organization under the Andhra Pradesh (Telangana) Public Societies Registration Act, 1350 Fasli (Act I of 1350 F). The core objective of the organization is to transform the lives of poor and downtrodden communities in rural an urban areas through Education, Sustainable livelihoods, Health, Socio-economic and Cultural awareness.
Since the inception, SCOPE is working towards promotion of child rights, quality education, skill trainings, livelihood promotion, women empowerment, environmental conservation, natural resource management, HIV/AIDS targeted interventions, Socio-economic, cultural and legal awareness campaigns, Health, Nutritional promotion and WASH interventions. During the course of its work, it has collaborated with International organizations, NGOs and NGO networks and Government Departments.
Key Objectives
- To promote free & compulsory Education and common school system.
- To promote women and child development activities
- To promote child health care, child participation, child development and child rights.
- Cares arrest contaminated diseases.
- To eradicate child marriages.
- To eliminate child labor by admitting children under the age of 18 years in to day time formal schools.
- The aim is to prevent and eliminate child trafficking, child sexual abuse, other forms of child abuse, child labor, child marriages, and ensure the protection of child rights, as well as access to justice and rehabilitation for victims.
- The goal is to create a society that is child-friendly.
- The objective is to create an environment that is conducive to safeguarding and protecting children.
Our Vision :
SCOPE envisions a socially equitable society, empowered socially, economically and culturally.
Our Mission :
SCOPEs mission is to work for the overall development of the individual, family and society with a view to creating a harmonious self-reliant and self-sustaining society through social, economic and cultural empowerment
Background
Child marriage is not just an age-old social evil, but also a heinous crime that robs children of their childhood. Child marriage is a “crime against children” that violates basic human rights, minor girls are forced to marry and live a life of mental trauma, physical and biological stress, domestic violence including limited access to education and increased vulnerability to domestic violence. The consequences of child marriage are severe and extensive. Some of the specific consequences include: early pregnancies leading to complications and higher rate of maternal mortality and death of infants, malnutrition among both the infant and the mother, increased vulnerability to reproductive health, disruption in girl’s education and thereby reduction in opportunities of her personal and professional development, domestic violence and abuse, limited decision making powers in the household, and mental health issues.
India’s Census 2011 revealed 12 million children were married before attaining the legal age, of which 5.2 million were girls. Globally, child marriage is identified as a crime and a menace that needs to be eliminated. It finds space in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, under target 5.3 of Goal 5 that states elimination of all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation by 2025
The latest National Family Health Survey (2019-21) shows that although there is a drop in the overall rate of child marriages, from 26.8% in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS 4) to 23.3% in NFHS-5, it is still high despite laws, programmes and schemes in place to address the issue
Child Marriage Free India Campaign
Understanding the seriousness of the issue, the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in W.P. Civil 382 of 2013 pronounced that the sexual intercourse committed by the husband upon his wife being under the age of 18 years with or without her consent can be constituted as rape. To address this, the most definitive and audacious commitment to end child marriage was made with the launch of Child Marriage Free India campaign.
Child Marriage Free India (CMFI) is a nationwide campaign led by women leaders and a coalition of more than 160 NGOs spanning more than 300 districts working to eliminate child marriage in India. CMFI is working to attain the tipping point of child marriage, after which the society does not accept this evil practice and that will happen when the prevalence of child marriage is brought down to 5.5% by 2030, from the current national prevalence rate of 23.3%. This is being done by initially targeting 257 high-prevalence districts and gradually focusing on all the districts of the country.
Child marriage results in child rape, resulting in child pregnancy, and in a large number of cases, may lead to child deaths. For decades, we have been losing generations of our children to child marriage. The Child Marriage Free India campaign has received extended support from various Departments and Institutions of over 28 States. So far, across India more than 5 crore people have taken the pledge to end child marriage over the last one year through the efforts of the Child Marriage Free India Campaign.
The Way Forward: PICKET Strategy to End Child Marriage
Tipping Point to end child marriage
WHEN CHILDREN HAVE CHILDREN - TIPPING POINT TO END CHILD MARRIAGE
Book authored by Mr Bhuwan Ribhu is an action plan to eliminate child marriage in India by 2030. It looks at the existing data on child marriage and lists 257 districts in India where the issue of child marriage is worst, which means where the occurrence of this evil practice is highest as compared to national numbers.
Tipping Point is the threshold required in an ecosystem needed to tilt the scale of the problem towards a point of no-return. The Tipping Point of Child Marriage is the critical point after which the society does not accept child marriage.
Tipping Point Methodology
The aim of reduction of 60 percent of child marriage is assumed to bring down the incidence of child marriage to 5.5 percent in the next nine years from 2021, from the last available estimates i.e., NFHS-5, till 2030. An additional assumption is that such a focused and elaborate intervention against child marriage would have a ripple effect.
In order to reach the Tipping Point, the Author proposes strategy at national and district level.
a. National Level strategy where Governments, Institutions, statutory bodies, etc. work towards prevention, protection, increased investment, improved prosecution, convergence and use of technology for monitoring
b. District Level strategy is similar to national level strategy but includes district administration, Panchayats, civil society, NGOs, other functionaries, parents and children who work collectively to prevent, report, and take action against child marriage
CASE STUDIES
I a. Child Marriage
Name of the person: Dappu Poojitha
Gender: Female
FIR No: SR 23- 00326/ 23-09-2023
Date on 23-09-2023 parents and relatives decided Poojitha’s marriage with one person. This information was collected from villagers and neighbors. We met Poojitha’s mother and relatives along with ICPS team and explained them about the disadvantages of child marriages and child marriages acts for punishment. We convinced her mother and informed to the Bhanur police station. Then they have come to village and they also explained about child marriage acts and punishment acts. At last her mother and their relatives agreed not to marry her and obeyed the laws.By this we made her life free from child marriage. We feel so happy for this great achievement in our journey. This photo was captured when giving counseling to girl.
I b. Child Marriage
Name of the person: is Bandari Aruna Jyothi
The girl is studying intermediate second year in Sangareddy town. In this way we visited date on 23-03-2024 (SCOPE team) with two councellers and one CSW Shivampet village for awareness campaign. And gathered villagers and meeting conducted at AWC center. That time we are explained about age at marriage, child labour age, and sexual abuse and trafficking. By listening to this the aganwadi teacher who is working there, informed about a family who want their below aged daughter to get married. After that we visited the girl house and met parents along with AWT and KSCF team members. And explained about child marriage risks, loss of girl child hood life and education. So please stop it and do marry after 18 years. By my team efforts, parents were convinced. So I feel glad by doing this achievement.
II a. Child Labour
Name of the person:Sarala Sai Krishna
Gender: Male
FIR No: 836/2023; 14-11-2023
Age : 13yrs
AADHAR No: 5311 7874 7399
Address: Bandlaguda, Patancheru, Sangareddy Dist. Telangana State
A mail which was received by PS of Patancheru on 10-11 -2023. According to mail the raid had taken place along with operation smile team at RK car foam washing centre at new market , Patancheru in Sangareddy district Telangana state on 14-11-2023 and found a boy child labour named Sarala Sai Krishna who is13 years old. By investigating the owner Sri Boddugari Rakesh s/o Somaiah who is 40 years old, we have known and confirmed all the information about the boy who is working at RK car foam washing centre against the child labor rules. By confirming this we filed a FIR and gave counseling to owner and child later we produced the boy before the CWC committee. Finally we handed over the boy to his parents. Hence, we are so glad by saving the boy.This photo was captured when the child was working
II b. Child Labour
Name of the person:Md. Rehan
Father Name :Md. Ibrahim
Mother Name :Md. Aseem sultana
Gender: Male
Age : 13 years(17-06-2012)
AADHAR No: 9143 1311 4695
Contact No: 9059346342 /9492618081
As a part of operation smile team X date on 30-01-2024 time 12.30 PM searching for child labour at Narayankhed to Ryakal main road ,we found one child labour at cool drink shop beside Bagavathimatha wine shop . The shop owner name is Ramakantha S/oDattagoud , Age ; 26 . permanent address is Village & Manal Khangti, Sangareddy dist. We gave counselling and explained about child labour acts. We filed F.I.R on him and jointed the child in ZPHS Narayankhed.
III Child Sexual Abuse
Name of the person: Child Girl
FIR No: 171/2023: Date: 19-12-2023
Age : 16 Years
Address: Shanthinagar, Chandanagar, Rangaaredy Dist, Telangana
According to child girl statement she is the younger daughter to her parents, her father used to work as labor and remaining her will look after the house hold. They used reside in hut at Nalagandla area in a plot to safe guard the plot. AT the time one Anjaneyulu age 21 years used to watch her. When she questioned him about the activities. He expressed his love on her initially she rejected his proposal, but later on she also accepted his proposal, then after regularly they used to chat with each other. After few days her family shifted to nearby Shanthinagar at Chandanagar and resident in rented house. Then they started chatting over phone. Since six months her parents were seeing matches for her (Marriage proposal). Then she got frightened and came out from the house on 22-11-2023 and took some unknown person mobile and called to Anjaneyulu informed the situation. Then Anjaneyulu went to she spot and met and her and brought her to his house situated at indranagar, Tellapur village. When she asked him to marry her, he replied that he doesn’t have money as of now and will do after one month. Since then she was residing at his house, daily he forcibly participated sexual intercourse with her saying that however they are going to get married, he used lock her the room from outside. Once Anjaneyulu father noticed me and intimated to her mother, then they came and brought her back. When she informed that missed her periods they came to Kolluru police station. Further she added that, even after knowing that she is minor he sexual assaulted her and full filled his sexual desire. So incidents like this are taking place in this society most commonly so the need to prevent this in needed.
IV AWC Enrollment
