Topics to be Covered

1. Business and children’s rights –Getting children’s rights on your business radar: Companies impact with children on a daily basis, often neither directly or purposefully. Business has enormous power to protect children from harm and to improve their lives through the way they operate, develop and market their products, provide services and exert their influence on social and economic development.

2. Integrating Children’s Rights into core business practices  Becoming a child friendly business starts with the commitment to respect and support the Rights of the Child. A child friendly company complies with the law and respects children’s rights wherever they operate  It initiates appropriate policies  and actions that identify, prevent and mitigate its impacts on children’s rights. Additionally it seeks ways to advance children’s rights through its core business activities, strategic socil investments and public policy engagements 

3. Rights of Children in the Workplace: Companies can make an important contribution to children’s rights by setting up family friendly workplaces supporting employees in meeting both work commitments and family responsibilities. Parents need to be given the necessary support and protection to fulfill their responsibilities within their communities and to their children

4. Rights of Children in the Market Place: Children are not smaller versions of adults. Companies need to take a proactive approach to ensure that their products do not affective children negatively. In addition to ensuring the safety of the products companies need to ensure that these are not misused to exploit children.

5. Rights of Children in the Community and Environment: How a company operates impacts not only its bottom line but the lives of people, particularly children, living near its production facilities. careful effort from businesses on the ground. careful effort from businesses on the ground.economic and social development is promoted.

6. Protecting/helping children affected by emergencies: During emergencies children are the most vulnerable sections in the society. They are especially vulnerable to disease, malnutrition, exploitation and violence. Companies are motivated to help children because of a number of factors, including staff motivation and the desire to helped the most needy and be recognized as a responsible company.

7. Reinforcing government and civil society efforts to fulfill children's rights: Fulfilling and protecting the rights of children is the responsibility of governments. Businesses have considerable, political, social and economic clout to be powerful effective players. They need to support good governance, not supplanting or undermining it. They need to partner with governments to provide basic services to children.

8. The right of children to education and health: Every child has the right to an education which develops their personality, talents and abilities to the full. Primary education must be free for all children. Similarly every child has the right to health care, clean water, nutritious food and a safe environment so they can be as healthy as possible. Business can on their own or in support of governments ensure that these rights are available to children in adequate measure.

9. Eliminating Child Labour: Child labour will end only if businesses respect children's rights. Taking children off the educational track early, and sometimes irretrievably denies them a proper adulthood and society is denied the kinds of workers, entrepreneurs and public leaders it needs to meet future challenges. When children have access to quality education, child labour prevalence is greatly reduced and economic and social development is promoted.

10. United Nations Global Compact’s Children’s Rights and Business Principles:  These Principles are a good starting point  but obtaining positive results on the ground requires that  they be put into practice. Businesses can make real positive impact through advocacy and action, building first a momentum of change through their networks, and then backing it up with action to give it credibility. Action in such a case does not refer simply to funding  projects but  embedding responsible business practices and developing community investment programmes that add value to both the business and target community.

11. Case Studies of Best Practices by Corporates and NGOs: Several business houses and NGOs are already fulfilling their responsibility to uphold and promote the Rights of Children. Participating organization will be allowed time to present case studies of their activities and share their experiences.