Marginalised children and youth defend their right to play
A recent study calculated Mumbai’s open space per person at just 1.1 square metre, 31 times lower than in London and 26 times lower than in New York. For the population most primed for play, and who are set to make this the world’s youngest country by 2020, the children and youth, this is a serious concern.
Against these circumstances, children and youth collectives across the city of Mumbai, residing in informal settlements (slums) and resettlement sites, have been leading a powerful movement to claim their rights, supported by Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) a non-profit working with marginalised people to help them access their rights.
The movement to defend the right to play began in a neighbourhood in west Mumbai where six grounds for play were wiped out for real-estate activities till just one ground remained. In due course, it was also up for redevelopment. To protect this space, the children and youth collectives in the area joined hands, organising a long march in 2016 all the way to the local administrator’s office. With different sports groups, local organisations and networks also extending their support, the administrator accepted their demands to leave this space free for their use—a huge confidence boost for all the people associated with this movement. Currently, over 500 of them regularly play on these grounds!
Another playground in a neighbouring western suburb had turned unsafe as it was rampantly used by drug abusers. The ground was dirty, with garbage piled high. At first, the children and youth of the locality cleaned this area, even facing attacks from abusers for trying to claim this space. However, they remained undeterred and lodged complaints with the police against the misuse of the space and their harassment. A long march and public meeting helped garner support for the demand for play, and this space started being used by them for their play henceforth.
At first, the community offered no support to these youngsters. But once they saw the impact of the movement, they started using these spaces too for cultural engagements. Currently, about 40–50 children and youth regularly play volleyball, cricket and badminton on these grounds.
In 2017, youth collectives across slums through their city-wide forum facilitated by YUVA got together and decided to launch a ‘claiming spaces campaign’. The youth identified newer spaces to reclaim for play, discussed strategies that had worked so far and what had failed, and elaborated on a plan of action to claim spaces for play across the city.
In the next few months, more spaces started opening up for the youth. Girls who had no opportunity to leave their houses earlier began playing in larger numbers across neighbourhoods. In some cases, youth collectives could organise sports training on these grounds.
Related to the claiming spaces movement, young persons have also articulated their demands for other community requirements, such as meeting spaces, libraries, community centres, gymnasiums, and their voices are being heard. Community centres have grown in different areas, and the youth are using these spaces to talk about their issues, development concerns, advocacy strategies and more.
Source: URBANET
