Actress Trisha Krishnan is the first actress from the south of India to become a UNICEF celebrity advocate. She will voice the rights of children, including adolescents and young people, and lend support to efforts for addressing anaemia, child marriage, child labour and child abuse.
Trisha said, “I feel honoured. I commit myself to create more awareness on health, education, nutrition and protection of children, especially the adolescents and young people in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. I would support the efforts of the government to make Tamil Nadu malnutrition and open defecation free.”
The actress stressed on the importance of educating girls, and claimed it would eliminate social evils like child marriage and child labour.
“If all the girls attend school up to 18 years, we can eliminate child marriage and child labour. In the long run, girls' education will also contribute to reduction of maternal and infant mortality and malnutrition among children,” she said.
The programme was attended by MP Nirmala, chairperson of Tamil Nadu State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Sugata Roy, UNICEF communication specialist, and representatives from child rights organizations and academic institutions.