Such celebrations will have an adverse psychological impact on children living in Care Homes

Mysore/Mysuru: The Directorate of Child Protection has issued a circular directing stakeholders including District Child Protection Units and Child Care Homes run by Government and private organisations to ban birthday celebrations of outsiders, celebrities or their children or officials and their children.

The order stated that children residing in Homes run by Government and private organisations are usually rescued from abusive parents, begging, sexual abuse, child marriages and many more.  Although there is a need to create a cheerful environment for the kids, the authorities said that cutting cake during the birthdays of celebrities or their children, or officials and their children have a negative impact in their minds as they don’t get a similar chance to celebrate their own birthdays.

 Such celebrations are usually held by celebrities, politicians, officers and their children and were found to leave an adverse psychological impact on children living in the Care Homes. The circular has specifically instructed all stakeholders of the Homes, including District Child Protection Units and Child Care Homes run by Government and private organisations, to ensure compliance with the order.

Child rights activists said that though the intentions of those celebrating such parties may be good, problems start when they hold them inside the institutions and things can be agonising for the inmates when they are forced to clap and dance to entertain the birthday boy or girl.

People celebrating their children’s birthday in child care institutions do so with an intention to create awareness among their wards about other unfortunate kids. “Inmates of Juvenile Homes and Child Care institutions are not captive audiences or kids on display like animals in a Zoo. When they do not celebrate their own birthdays, why should they celebrate some other child’s or a person’s birthday? Children should not be forced to celebrate someone else’s birthday just for a piece of cake or chocolate,” they said, welcoming the Government order.

After parties, pictures are usually uploaded on social media, revealing children’s identity, which is a violation of Juvenile Justice Act, the activists observed.