Abstract
Child Rights in India are often perceived
as the least important thing in the society.
As a child cannot stand up for himself
and is not aware of what is right from what is wrong their childhood is
exploited by the adults in the society in several ways. From child abuse to
child labour any issue pertaining to Child Rights is again defined by adults
and are viewed from a different point of view. Every child has a right to
childhood. But how many children actually know that. As a civilized society and
the keepers are we adults doing enough to ensure that the childhood is
protected? As Urban India grows in terms of economy and affluence, the human
values have been constantly falling, especially when it comes to Child Rights. The apathy of the situation has gone from bad
to worse as India is seen as a growing economy by the rest of the world, as
Indian children continue to be malnourished, school drop-outs, abused
physically, emotionally and sexually and are exposed to several forms of
torture which we adults rarely see as abuse. The most shocking result of such
actions leave children mutely to endure the atrocities of the society and
accept this kind of treatment as a part of life and then grow up to be like the
same abusive adults they were exposed to as children. This vicious cycle
continues unless Child Rights are protected and implemented with every child in
the world.
This paper outlines Child Rights as defined
by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), how the
civilized society perceives them, challenges faced by Child Rights Protection
Force (CRPF) at rural and urban areas and a few suggestions on how society can
change and become empathically open to Child Rights. A few case studies are
outlined in the paper which highlights the complexities involved in protecting
children who are employed in urban and rural areas. This paper also highlights
child rights issues based on the economic and social divide between urban and
rural areas including migrants with some suggestions on protecting the children
from forced adulthood at a young age. The challenges and solutions presented in
this paper can be adapted and inculcated in the teaching methodologies to
sensitize the society and take Child Rights seriously.
Introduction
While every legal entity in the world is
focusing on Human Rights and Non-Governmental Organisations talk passionately
about how the world is becoming utterly inhuman by violating Human Rights,
media dishing out a steady dose of headlines and photographs that are utterly
gory and anything suitable for reading at your breakfast table, social media
posting videos that go viral in the matter of minutes directly proportional to
the disturbing content within it, Human Rights seem to be everywhere. But then, one might start wondering,
if everyone is aware of Human Rights, what’s the big fuss about? The answer is
simple – Human Values are missing even when Human Rights are well defined.
According
to United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) we have 30 well defined Human
Rights and of which only one are dedicated specifically to mother and children
and No. 25. Most
of time, we tend to overlook the facts that children are often victimized and
never get to know their rights as they are simply not aware of them. The plight
of children residing in India that is home for 19% of
the world’s children is even worse. Sex determination during pregnancy is an
unlawful practice in India owing to the alarming rate at which female foeticide
is growing, yet is being done in several places bringing down the gender ratio.
Right from the womb the survival of a child is a biggest challenge. India’s
infant mortality rate stands at a disturbing 5.1% and even if the child
survives past age 5 after being severely malnourished and undernourished every
breath it takes, is a struggle for survival. Right from abandonment to hunger, child
labour to sexual abuse, denial of basic necessities like clean air, water,
sanitation and food, life for a child in India is a biggest ordeal.
Why Child Rights?
A quick look at year 2011 Indian census
(see graphic below) will give us an idea that 38.99% of Indian population are
below 18 years of age of which 52.4% account to boys and 47.6% to girls. So,
effectively the NCPCR defined Child Rights apply to at least 39% of our
population, which is evident that this major segment of Indian population is
dependent on the majority 60% which is the adult population segment, who will
be largely implementing the Child Rights. This also means the Human Rights
Commission, which essentially employs adults, have a bigger responsibility in
protecting the Child Rights in the interest of protecting Human Rights in
general.
Source:
Indian Census 2011
Child Rights as defined by NCPCR
The following are the Child Rights as
defined by Child Rights by National Commission for Protection for Child Rights,
New Delhi. Some of them seem pretty simple, yet it will be very surprising to
know that many of these rights are denied for Indian children. The much hue and cry about implementing the
fourth right “Right to Education” seems very tough, owing to the social and
economic barriers, lack of result-oriented initiatives and the closed mindset
of the society where our children live today. As per ILO statistics 19% of the
world child population lives in India. And a quick look at the below list of
Child Rights will clarify what the majority of Indian children are missing,
which constitutes to the whole essence of their childhood, how we can address the
issues and protect the Child Rights.
1.
Right to Safe Environment:
With depleting
levels of natural resources day by day, the environmental changes occurring in
the world leading to a difficult living thus by raising costs of housing and
basic care for human survival, make it even worse for children. According to the year 2011 population census a
majority of 72.8% of Indian children live in rural areas and the rest 27.2%
live in urban areas. Children are extremely vulnerable to and are the first
victims of any natural or man-made disasters in India. While the rehabilitation
measures offered to them are not officially defined, as largely such measures
are aimed at surviving adults in the regions. Even if one doesn’t look at
disasters per se, the very existence of a normal day-to-day life of a child is
exposed to extremely hazardous environment. In rural areas, the lack of basic
amenities like clean drinking water and sanitation itself poses several health
risks in infants and children. Apart from this children are exposed to
extremely poisonous substances in agriculture sector, which constitutes
agricultural labourers, which is 55% of the Indian adult work force including
main and marginal work as per Union Primary Census Abstract 2011. This leaves
the children of this 55% workforce exposed to harmful pesticides, as they play
an integral role in helping their parents in this sector or work as child
labourers. When we look at urban areas, once again children are vulnerable to
the raising pollution levels which are by-products of rapid urbanization and
industrialization. Apart from air and water pollution, deforestation,
industrial pollution the Ambient Air quality statistics itself show that their
survival to grow as a healthy adult is minimized at every step.
A quick look at
the report on Hyderabad city by Environment Protection Training Research
Institute (EPTRI) , USAID and Environmental Protection Agency, which is entirely
based on transport and industrial level pollution on ambient air quality
without accounting for air pollutants by road dust, open burning, residential
and commercial establishments, projected a death rate of 6 times more for year
2021 than for exposure in 2011.
The presentation of this report ended with a rather chilling message which is
depicted in the Figure 1 below.
Apart from air
quality the overall Environmental Performance Index
ranks India at a dismal 155th position, among 178 nations in a study
conducted by Yale University in 2013. The most troubling part which we should
consider is that India ranked 125th in year 2012 and slipped 30
ranks below in 2013.
Figure 1. Source: Clean Air Portal
The following
table shows the details of Indian ranking in Environmental Performance Index
which explains the kind of environment we are living in and exposing the
younger generation to.
Name of the Indicator
|
Score
|
Rank amongst 178 nations
|
Health Impacts
|
50.04
|
127
|
Air
Quality
|
23.24
|
174
|
Water
& Sanitation
|
26.28
|
124
|
Water Resources
|
10.49
|
87
|
Agriculture
|
58.4
|
117
|
Forests
|
35.07
|
57
|
Fisheries
|
22.64
|
67
|
Biodiversity &
Habitat
|
39.18
|
125
|
Climate & Energy
|
35.24
|
104
|
Overall Score
|
31.23
|
155
|
Table
1. Source: Environmental Performance Index Report
for India 2014, Yale University
To show the
seriousness of the issue Air, Water & Sanitation and Agriculture which sums
up the 3 basic requirements for survival of any living being is highlighted in
red. Children are the worst affected as their physical growth is stunted when
exposed a hazardous environment with lower levels of immunity and eventually to
leading to irreparable damage to their bodies and minds most of the times to an
untimely death. This proves that we have a greater responsibility in front of
us which is rather impending in offering a cleaner environment to our future
generation by adapting to energy efficient lifestyle and working conditions.
The onus is on us adults who should be thinking ahead about the living
conditions of the future citizens of India.
Right to Food:
According to
National Institute of Nutrition Hyderabad, recommended a daily dietary
requirement including macro-nutrients and minerals for Indian children aged 1-9
yrs is 1,367 Kcal and 2,456 Kcal for children aged between 10-17 yrs. Table 2
indicates the recommended balanced dietary suggestions for children as given in
the national Institute of Nutrition in year 2013.
Recommended diet for Children 1-18 yrs
|
Food Groups
|
1-3 yrs
|
4-6 yrs
|
7-9 yrs
|
10-12 yrs
|
13-15 yrs
|
16-18 yrs
|
Girls
|
Boys
|
Girls
|
Boys
|
Girls
|
Boys
|
Cereals & Millets in gms
|
60
|
120
|
180
|
240
|
300
|
330
|
420
|
330
|
450
|
Pulses in gms
|
30
|
30
|
60
|
60
|
60
|
60
|
75
|
75
|
90
|
Milk & Milk products in ml
|
500
|
500
|
500
|
500
|
500
|
500
|
500
|
500
|
500
|
Roots & Tubers in gms
|
50
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
150
|
150
|
200
|
Green Leafy vegetables in gms
|
50
|
50
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
Other vegetables in gms
|
50
|
100
|
100
|
200
|
200
|
200
|
200
|
200
|
200
|
Fruits in gms
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
Sugar in gms
|
15
|
20
|
20
|
30
|
30
|
25
|
20
|
25
|
30
|
Table
2. Source: Dietary Guidelines Manual for Indians by National Inst. of Nutrition
2nd Edition- 2010
According to
Ministry of Women & Child Development,
malnourishment is clearly defined in a colourful format with film star Aamir
Khan as brand ambassador explaining the short-term and long-term adverse
effects of malnutrition as:
- ·
Short-term
adverse effects
include recurring illness, weakness, delayed physical and mental development,
irritability, poor appetite, low weight for age, etc.
- ·
Long-term
adverse effects are
stunting or short height for age, poor learning ability, poor performance at
school and poor general health. All of which reflect in poor working capacity,
resulting in low income. Stunting in girls can have effects on child bearing,
resulting in low birth weight babies.
The same
campaign also lists out some facts pertaining to malnutrition in Indian
children which are given as follows:
- Every fifth child in the world
lives in India (19% of the world child population)
- 22% babies are born with low
birth weight
- 50 out of 1000 Live births do
not complete their first year of life
- 42.5% children (0-5) years are
underweight
- 79% of children (6-35 months)
have iron deficiency
- Half of adolescent girls in the
age group 15-19 years are undernourished
- Approximately 2.75 crores of
adolescent girls are undernourished
- 56% of adolescent girls suffer
from iron deficiency anaemia
The campaign
also outlines the nutritional requirement for children, girls and women, but
fails to mention how these nutritional requirements are met. However,
Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS)
program another initiative by the same ministry addressed the same by
allocating Rs. 6 per day for severely malnourished children in age group of 6
months to 5 yrs for a daily nutritional requirement of 800 Kcal which surpasses
the levels of disconnect between the problem and the policy maker, about the
current food prices in India. That sheer absurdity of rolling out a campaign in
association with UNICEF and a remedial measure to save children from
malnourishment is just an eye wash evidently owing to the sky-rocketing food
prices in India in 2009.
Similar list of food
requirements for an individual is published by Indian Council on 1st
April 2013, which accounts to 675 gms of cereals, 60 gms of pulses, 210 gms of
vegetables, 50 gms of sugar and 250 ml of milk to keep the body fit. A senior reporter
Sri S. Balan priced the above food requirement and arrived at a figure of Rs.
71.50 per person per day.
If we factor in the costs as per his report and account to the child’s food
cost we will be looking at a figure of Rs.40.9 per child within age group of
1-6 yrs, Rs. 67.41 per child in 7-15 yrs age and Rs.80.79 per child in 16-18
yrs age per day as shown in Table 3. It is a known fact that the required
nutrition for growing children and adolescents is more than the adults so we
see an increase of Rs. 9.29 from average adult food cost to child as per the
same report.
Average Food cost per child
per day in Rupees
|
Age group
|
1-6 yrs
|
7-15 yrs
|
16-18 yrs
|
Cereals
|
5.37
|
17.55
|
23.28
|
Pulses
|
4.5
|
9.45
|
12.38
|
Milk
|
15
|
15
|
15
|
Vegetables,
Roots, Tubers & Fruits
|
14.28
|
23.33
|
27.38
|
Sugar
|
1.75
|
2.08
|
2.75
|
Total in Rupees
|
40.9
|
67.41
|
80.79
|
Table 3.
According to the year 2011 census Indian children below 18 years of
age and accounting to the National Institute of Nutrition’s dietary
requirements, India needs about 55.6 Million tonnes per of cereals and pulses
for children costing Rs.3.78 lakh crores per year. If we look at India’s Food grains production
for year 2012-13, we have about 255 Million tonnes of production according to Ministry
of Agriculture, which
means we are producing atleast 4 plus times more than what our our children
consume in a year.
According to
Economic Survey for year 2012-13, the food grains production for year 2011-12
is at 259.32 million tonnes. The number sounds promising and positive enough to
feed the hungry in India especially children. But most of these food grains
that are produced in India are not available for Indians including our children.
An obscene amount of food grains and processed foods accounting to 296 lakh
metric tonnes are being exported from India in year 2011-12, which is an
increase of 39% from previous year according to the Agricultural and Processed
Food Export Development Authority (APEDA)
amounting to Rs. 1.15 lakh crores. This means we are taking away the food meant
for our children, processing it and exporting it to other countries, the APEDA
website proudly claims that India is the world’s 2nd largest producer
of cereals adding to the insult when our own children are going hungry. Apart
from exporting, a large amount of food
grains rot due to inadequate storage facilities in our granaries. That calls
for a bigger argument in itself.
India ranks 63rd
in the Global Hunger Index
and the score is 21.3 which is rated as “alarming” according to International
Food Policy & Research Institute’s report in 2013. Even if we leave adults out of equation, which
account to 17.5% as undernourished population in the nation, Children below 5
years of age account to 40.2% and an Infant mortality rate for children under
the age of 5yrs is at 6.1% which is equally disturbing.
Just by ensuring
proper food distribution to people can address the national hunger problem.
Even the much publicized Food Security Bill that claims to cover 67% of the
nation’s population accounting to 1.35% of the GDP
still doesn’t address the problem the requirement exceeds supply.
Unless India
take some stringent measures in offering better prices to agriculture produce,
reduce corporate farming practices and ensure a transparent public distribution
system in sync with the nutritional requirements if the population based on the
age in place and plug the holes in the distribution system, hunger for India will
prevail.
Right to Healthcare:
As mentioned
above an Infant Mortality Rate
for children under the age of 5yrs is at 6.1% speaks for itself about the level
of accessible child care and ante-natal care available in India. This is
occurring even when our government has implemented a welfare program
exclusively for Mothers and Infants in the name of Janani-Shishu Suraksha Karyakramam.
A look at our own statistics from the Annual Health Survey, shows Child
Mortality Rate at 13.3% in year 2010 at a per capita public expenditure for
healthcare is at Rs.1,201. Even though Indian children account to 40% of the
national population the proper health care seem to be a distant dream with the
lack of specialized care in the fields of paediatrics and ante-natal care.
The Indian
healthcare dates back to the Vedic system of healthcare (Ayurveda) in 5000 BC
when live was simpler and more holistic in everyway. However the current
scenario for healthcare in India has changed. India produces some of the finest
doctors for serving the world. But when it comes to home front the same doctors
are accessible only through expensive private medical care, which is not
affordable for an average Indian family with children. The doctors in the field
of Paediatrics too, are limited to treating patients in urban areas. Rural
India suffers from the inadequate facilities or limited trained staff who is
often over-burdened with work.
Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare, GOI, produced an Annual Report on Healthcare in India in
2011 which proudly states that National Rural Health Mission NHRM has emerged
as a major financing and health sector reform strategy to strengthen the State
Health Systems by placing 1 Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) worker for
every 1000 population. Though placing an ASHA worker is highlighted as a major
breakthrough in villages by Ministry of Health, the ASHA workers aim at
maintaining Mother and Child Tracking System through hospitals, ensuring the
deliveries happen in Primary Health Care (PHC) centres, and limit their
responsibility to food and medicines
distribution for Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). The same report
also states that more than 8 lakh women have been trained and deployed as ASHAs
at the village level. More than 6.9 lakh ASHAs are provided with drug kits. The
lack of supply in drug kits to over 1 lakh ASHA workers speaks very loudly for
the Infant Mortality Rate we are witnessing in our nation.
Ministry of Women and Child
Development’s prescribed
Rate and Supplementary
Nutritional Norms per beneficiary per day
|
Sl.No.
|
Category
|
Rates
|
Calories (K Cal)
|
Protein (gms)
|
1
|
Children (6-72 months)
|
Rs.4.00
|
500
|
12-15
|
2
|
Severely malnourished children (6-72 months)
|
Rs.6.00
|
800
|
20-25
|
3
|
Pregnant women and Nursing mothers
|
Rs.5.00
|
600
|
18-20
|
Table 4 Source: Source: Bulletin on Rural Health Statistics in
India 2009. Infrastructure Division Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,
Govt. of India
The above table
shows the prescribed Supplementary Nutritional Norms by Ministry of Women and
Child Development in year 2008-09. This is distributed through Aanganwadi
Centres (AWCs). The rates shows the disconnect between the real prices of food
commodities and utopian assumptions by the ministry. Even this paltry sum of
money that is allotted towards nutritional supplement reaches only half of the
children in the prescribed age group. According to the ministry’s website as
per project 7066 there are a total of 13.4 lakhs Aanganwadi Centres servicing
841 lakh children in the age group of 0-6 yrs which essentially covers 51% of
the total child population in India in that age group, leaving out primary health care access to the
rest.
The prime focus
of an ASHA worker is to reduce infant mortality rate and ensure pre and
ante-natal care for mother and child. According to Sri Hari Hara Reddy,
District Co-ordinator for MV Foundation in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh
stresses the point that the responsibility of ASHA worker ends once the child
attains an age of 5. After this age the child does not get any special health
care facilities in rural areas unless he/she goes to school. Hari Hara Reddy
stresses on the fact that each government school has to strictly follow a
fortnightly health check up for the children and maintain a record of the same
with school authorities as well as at PHCs who conduct the health check up
under the scheme if Jawahar Arogya Raksha
Pathakam. Working at the grassroots levels, he says this is not happening
as per schedule. In his experience he witnessed only 3 health checks by PHCs in
schools in the entire last academic year leaving children and parents virtually
helpless in diagnosing any ailments that could have been found during this
exercise. Even the Health Ministry report
states that Full Immunization occurs in 61% of children and they aim to
increase further by 10% for the coming year shows the lack of interest in
public health care system in India by policy makers.
According to National
Health Policy 2002 outlined in Annual Report on Healthcare there is one Primary
Health Care centre (PHC) for every 20,000-30,000 population as published on
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
The difference of 10,000 in the lower and upper range of population is
self-explanatory in highlighting the seriousness with which our government is
looking at health care. Based on the data provided by the Indian Council for
Medical Research (ICMR) in the National Health Report 2010
there are 23,391 Primary Health Care centres in India which when extrapolated
to population census gives 1 PHC for every 51,766 citizens in India. Even if we
do not account for urban areas as the health care here is managed by private
players, we will be left with 1 PHC for 35,644 individuals of which 39% are
children where there is no specialized care is available.
The situation is
better in urban areas comparatively as the healthcare is largely privatized
with multi-specialty care. With the impending environmental deterioration, lack
of nutritious food, water and sanitation and lack of medical care children are
the prime victims to epidemics as their immunity levels get lower and lower
with each year.
Less than 1% of
the GDP is allocated to public health care in India by the government in year
2011 which is set to raise to 2-3% which the policy makers seems as acceptable
increase – in their own words. As per
National Health Accounts (NHA2009),
the “Out of the Pocket” (OOP)expenditure by patients in India in 2004-05 was
more than two- thirds of total health spending by the government which shows
dismal state of health care is in India. This gets worse in rural India where
68% expenses account to OOP and 32% in urban areas for availing health
services. Most of the OOP expenses are incurred in the private medical facility
centres or on the diagnostic services which are not available in the government
run PHCs. Added to the insult the government is planning to privatise health sector
under PPP model in 12th Five Year Plan according to a report by
working group on National Rural Health Mission NHRM making health care even
more expensive and practically inaccessible.
Even if we do
not go into details of the ailments, as per UNICEF data India has an estimated
220,000 children infected by HIV/AIDS.
It is estimated that 55,000 to 60,000 children are born every year to mothers
who are HIV positive14. There is no data available that is related
to the treatments and medical aid for HIV/AID affected children on National
Aids Control Program website.
A closer look
from national level to state level health care initiative by the Government of
Andhra Pradesh in the name of Rajiv Arogyasri Pathakam, too has little
to do with child healthcare. The total budget of Rs. 1,200 crores and claimed
to have covered 85% (56,819,070) of the state population in 2009 in offering
quality healthcare services.
In Year 2010-11 the Arogyasri Healthcare Trust empanelled 290 hospitals
including government and private together to provide quality health care
services to the poor. However only 17 of the empanelled hospitals are exclusive
to Maternity and Child care or both. This shows the accessibility of quality health
care for children and infants in the state. The report does not state any
details on the children’s ailments and treatments offered under the scheme. Even
in India Governance
website under Best Practices section, the full case study of Rajiv Aarogyasri
Health Insurance Scheme does not give any numbers pertaining to details and
number of children treated or their ailments. But is it hard to miss the
comment posted underneath the report by Dr. Suryakantha Acharya who is a Cancer
Specialist from Vijayawada who questions the lack of transparency in the whole
scheme as he never got a reply from the government for his RTI query on cancer
cases treated. That sums up the effectiveness and authenticity of the data
available and also the health benefits of Arogyasri scheme extended to the
public.
As per National
Food and Health Survey NFHS-3, 48% of children under age five years are stunted
(too short for their age) which indicates that, half of the country’s children
are chronically malnourished. Acute malnutrition, causes irreparable damage to
body results in a child being too thin for his or her height, under-perform and
prone to more illnesses than his peers. 19.8% of children under 5 years in the
country are victims of acute malnourishment. 43% of children under age five
years are underweight for their age.
According to
Social Statistical Division’s report
on children in 2012, about 76.4% of children (6-59 months) in the lowest wealth
index are suffering from anaemia whereas 56.2% children of the highest wealth
index are suffering from anaemia. Irrespective of economic standing, anaemia seems
to affect more than half of the children below 5 years of age. Health care for
children in India does not have a clue about how to address this pressing
concern.
Right to Education (RTE):
This is probably
much talked about and much appreciated bill when passed in the Indian
parliament. In India where literary rate as per 2011 census is states that 73% of
Indian population are literates, however the way it is calculated has a gaping
flaw as the methodology states that population from age 7 years onwards including
the children getting the primary level education are recorded as literates. It
is another argument whether a child educated under RTE as a mere eye wash, can
actually read basic alphabet or not. Added to this armed with RTE bill majority
of Indians thought they can breathe easy thinking that at least we got this one
right. The Ministry of Human Resources and Development of India explains RTE as
‘The Right of Children to Free and
Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the consequential
legislation envisaged under Article 21-A, means that every child has a right to
full time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal
school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards.’
This applies to children in age group of
6 yrs to 14 years.
But before going
into details of the primary and upper primary students, one has to look at the
children below 6 years or the pre-schoolers, who are covered by Aanganwadi
Centres (AWC) through ICDS mission by Ministry of Women & Child Development.
According to data published on the website http://wcd.nic.in/
there are a total on 13.4 lakh AWCs in India and 349 lakh
children/pre-schoolers (0-6 yrs) are covered which looks quite promising as
there is one AWC for every 26 pre-schoolers. But as per 2011 census the total
number of children aged between 4-6 yrs is 7,54,18,513, that means we are
leaving out 54% of the pre-schoolers without any education at Aanganwadi
Centres, until they complete age 6 before getting access to full time
elementary education. This indicates that the AWC resources are available to
only 46% of the child population for pre-primary education and the rest 54% are
denied the same due to lack of resources and other factors.
For children
(6-14 yrs) totalling 23.36 crores according to 2011 census and who rightfully
come under the purview of RTE, there are 14 lakh primary and pre-primary level
in both government and private sector as mentioned in the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan
(SSA) report for
2012 which looks promising on paper as there is one school for 166 children. However
the number of schools shown includes government and private both combined in
the report without giving any clarity on the segregation.
Another survey
by NCERT plugs in the holes left by SSA, so, we are using that as reference. As
per All India School Education Survey conducted by NCERT there are a total
1,125,588 (government & private) schools offering primary and upper-primary
level education to children leaving a promising number of 1 school for every
207 children with an average of 4 teachers per school, irrespective of economic
backgrounds and is quite reassuring even if we look at the school to children
ratio of 1: 175 at rural level and 1: 427 in urban areas which seems quite
good.
Pie chart shows the total primary and upper-primary schools in India
by type of management. Data & Info source: All India school education
survey 2009, NCERT
Despite this,
the biggest challenge for implementing RTE is to motivate parents to send
children to school. In rural sector there is a decrease of 62% in enrolments in
primary level and 55% at upper primary level over a period of 7 years (2002 to
2009). For girls in the age group of 6-14 the enrolment is only at 47% of the
total girl child population. The total dropout rate for children (boys &
girls) from primary level to upper primary level is 15.5% and dropout rate for
girls is 17%. The above numbers are crunched based on the data read from All
India School Education Survey.
There are some
factors that could discourage children from going to school, some of them are
11% of the total schools do not have a pucca building, 17% lack drinking water
facility, 25.5% schools do not have usable urinals and 47% do not have a
playground.
A main factor which
plays a role in hindering girls to enrol in schools is the location of the
schools from their habitats. 41.7% of the primary schools and are located
beyond 1km or more outside the habitats. When it comes to upper primary schools
location 71.3% schools are located at least 3 kms or further from the habitat
which is perceived as unsafe in rural India to send a girl child further away
for education. Such challenges which require mind set changes armed with emphasis
on value of education should be inculcated within the communities to encourage
them to send children to schools. A habitat in rural India has many other
issues pertaining to scarcity of drinking water which needs to be fetched from
far, sanitation facilities, electricity and roads etc. All these factors again
hinder the parents to send children to school, as they are compelled to use
every available hand for their livelihood. Please note that the parents here do
not put the children to work for someone outside, but the child ends up working
for the family to ensure that the day goes by with some help to its parents.
Keeping the
economic inequality factor, if one looks pragmatically at Starvation Wages as
per Arjun Sen Gupta’s Report in 2009 for Commission for Enterprises in the
Unorganised Sector, states that 76.8%
parents of these 23.36 crore children live below poverty level earning less
than Rs. 20 a day. Even if we consider the information published in World
Population Data Sheet 2011
which clearly states that according to World Bank ‘s World Development
Indicators Report in 2011 confirms that 76% of Indian population live on less
than US$ 2 per day which is less than meagre when one looks at the rising food
prices in India. So, the affordability of sending children to any school except
for the mid-day meal scheme is miniscule for the below the poverty line
population. And most of the parents put their children to work along with them
or send them away from home for work so the child starts to contribute to the
family income.
According to the
2001 census 12.6 million children below the age of 14 are forced into child
labour, of these 1,30,403 are working in occupations identified as hazardous.
(Note: We do not have Child Labour statistics for 2011 census from Census India
yet.) 72% of all child domestic workers are girls according to International
Labour organisation explaining the low enrolment levels in primary schools and dropout
rates from primary to upper primary level for girl children.
Right against Child Marriage:
According to
‘Children in India 2012 –A Statistical Appraisal’ report by Ministry of
Statistics and Implementation
recorded cases under ‘Prohibition of Child Marriage Act’ and 'Immoral Traffic
(P) Act' registered sharp increase of 200% and 50% respectively. Most of the
child marriages in India are unreported owing to the closely knit communities
and caste system prevailing in the Indian society. The National Crime Records
Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs, GOI, too published a report on increase in
crimes against children by 24% from year 2010 to 2011, where child marriages
are included. National Family Health Survey (II) data suggests that the median
age for the marriage of girls in India is 16.4 years. The survey also found
that 65% of the Indian girls are married by the time they are 18.
While there are
several adverse effects of child marriages some of them namely, dropout form
mainstream education thus violating the fundamental right of education for the
child. The effect on a girl child, who is often a victim of this social peril,
is much more in terms of health, leading to higher incidence of infant
mortality rate due to the underage mother. The overall wellbeing of the child
too is at stake owing to the vulnerability of a young bride in an Indian
household where she is expected to perform the chores of an adult and take the
responsibility of a family which is another violation of child rights.
For a male child
the additional responsibility that is put on the shoulders at a young age to
raise and provide for a family when he himself is an adolescent, takes a toll
on the overall wellbeing. Such children are more prone to alcoholism and
psychological problems and personal trauma. A household where both parents are
minors obviously have a low income level and hence lead to creating poverty
ridden families in the society which is again sucked into the vicious circle of
poverty, hunger and malnourishment.
Proper counselling
sessions should be held for parents and elders in the communities to update and
educate them on the negative outcome of child marriages. Staff at Primary
Health Care centres, ASHA workers, Aanganwadi Workers, teachers, who interact
closely with rural communities can serve as communication channels, to curb
this social evil emphasizing the health risks of an underage motherhood. A
close watch by the law enforcement agencies in the regions too will help in
reducing the incidence of child marriages in India.
Right to Freedom:
Every child is
born free to enjoy his childhood. However this fundamental right of freedom is
denied for at least 12.6 million children in the age group of 5-14 yrs in India
as per National Labour statistics. India with its larger population has the
highest number of child labourers in the world, less than 14 years of age
according to International Labour Organisation which accounts 18.8% of children
in Asia-Pacific are put to work.
Even the National Sample Survey
Organisation in its report states that over 49.84 lakh children are working
full-time as wage earners.
By employing a child we not only deny the children of their basic
rights as outlined above but also create a world with economic imbalance and a
horrifying society full of denied children who grow up to be adults. In October
2013 ILO, appreciated the efforts of many nations for their marked progress
against Child Labour and reiterated their commitment to fully implement the
Roadmap for Achieving the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by
2016, adopted at The Hague Global Child Labour Conference in 2010.
If one looks at the manner in which a child is put to work, any kind
of work is considered hazardous for the child owing to the age, lack of
perception towards danger, lack of education, lower comprehension levels and
violation of Right to Freedom which is a defined fundamental right for every
citizen of India, young or old. From domestic work done by 72% of the total
girl children across the world as per ILO statistics, to handling of machinery
in industries to being street vendors, children are subject to abuse when they
are taken from the protective environment of parental and family care and are
forced to work. The overall mental health along with the physical growth is
stunted as these children are deprived of their basic right to enjoy their
childhood. While child labour is the extreme form of violation of right to
freedom, most of the children employed are made to believe that, this is the
way of their life owing to their social standing, caste or economic background
of their parents. The worst part is the children cannot defend themselves from
this kind of abuse because they do not have a voice. Even if they muster up to
voice their woes out, their voices are subdued in the din of adult greed.
Agriculture is one of the largest sectors that employ children
rampantly. Here in this sector children often work with their parents in the
fields as additional help. Agricultural labourers also come under the large
segment of unorganised labour force in India. It is a known fact that many of
the below the poverty line families put their adolescent children to work in NREGA
which is a popular minimum wages scheme implemented by Govt, of India. Due toe
dearth of work and to elevate the rural unorganised labour force from poverty
this initiative by government ensures at least 100 days of guaranteed work for
each household every year, with an average wage earned per beneficiary is
Rs.115 in year 2012. This is hardly enough as per the rising prices for basic
livelihood in India owing to the rising prices. Owing to these factors and
hunger dynamics in which supersedes the wisdom of putting the children into
schools, parents are compelled to take them to work with them. Often girls in
the age group of 11 years or younger don saris to portray like adults and try
to get employment through this scheme. Even such schemes are offered for a
limited period of time where only 100 days of work is offered and often families
are forced to migrate to urban areas in search for livelihood.
Such migration again exposes their children to several health and
social hazards including urban pollution, sexual abuse when they are put to
work in cities. Their dwellings in the urban slums are often razed to grounds
in the name of infrastructure expansion leaving the children homeless violating
several other Child Rights. Displacement
of adults affects the children in many ways. Girl children are often put to
domestic work in urban areas where both adults in urban nuclear families go to
work, exposing them to sexual abuse.
Sectors
in which children are employed
While the labour law in India defines anyone
below 14 years are legally not allowed to work and employers are liable for a
fine and imprisonment, child labour is still rampant across the length and
breadth of India.
Case Study 1 – Manga
One case study report from MV Foundation, an NGO that works for
protecting Child Rights, highlights a story where the child Manga, was brought
from Vizag district to work for a family residing the state capital of
Hyderabad city, as a child care giver at the tender age of 8. The rescue
operation for this child with the aid of a social worker was a long tedious one
which spanned to over 2 years. The child in the mean time was abused verbally
and physically and was threatened not to reveal the details of her employment
even after the rescue. The fear instilled in the young girl’s mind that her
parents in the village will be punished if she confesses the abuse meted on her
by her employer often leads a complex situation where law cannot punish the
culprits stringently. Manga is now under the care of MV Foundation and is
attending higher secondary school. Her aim is to become an engineer if she has
enough resources and help to pursue her dream.
Case Study 2 – K. Rama and Siva
Sai
Another case study which was handled directly by Hyderabad Labour
department where Mr. N. Ajith, a
resident of upscale Millennium Royal
Apartments, in Ameerpet, Hyderabad was
caught red-handed by the Deputy Commissioner of Labour S. Naresh Kumar, which
involved the rescue of 2 under-age children K.Rama and Siva Sai both aged below
14 years. Both children work as bonded labour inside the apartment round the
clock. The girl Rama works as a child care giver for an infant and the boy
Shiva works as domestic help. Both children do not attend any school or get any
other form of education. The raid
conducted by labour department resulted in successful rescue operation of both
children and imposition of fine of Rs. 20,000 for each child and a case was
registered against the employer. The children were rescued amidst the presence
of media and were sent to government run residential schools. However, the case
took an ugly turn when the employer brought in the children’s parents and used
his political connections to bring back the children to work at his home
exactly 29 days after the rescue operation. There were no checks and measures
by the Hyderabad labour Commissioner in this particular case. The media too
which was very vocal about child abuse moved on. The residents of the apartment
complex including the key association members who were eye witnesses to the
rescue, too decided to ignore this issue fearing threats from their influential
neighbour. The fate of these children is sealed with the greedy and selfish employer
who continues to hijack the childhood and future of these two innocents.
As per UNICEF
statistical report on India 2013, we have a total of 11.8% Child labour force
in India. Though Indian Labour ministry did not provide any numbers on the
child labour statistics after year 2001, NGOs like MV Foundation and Childline
confirm that the numbers are much higher and often go unreported or untraced by
the officials.
Stricter law
enforcement by officials is the only way to solve the problem of child labour.
After the rescue the child needs psychological help to cope up with the trauma
and often this is not offered at the government run hostels and homes. NGOs
like MV Foundation are often cash strapped owing to their own fundraising
limitations are already bursting its seams accommodating children.
Right to be Free from
Discrimination:
Rural India
witnesses caste and community wise discrimination apart for economic and social
standing which is prevalent in both urban and rural areas. There is an incident
that occurred recently in a Dalit community in rural Karnataka where children
are local school asked to sit separately in the classroom owing to their caste.
This was found through a study done by Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and
Inclusive Policy, Mangalore University.
The study revealed the plight of 50 villages where children from 825 families
attend primary school owing to their caste. Such discrimination scars the child
who will grow up to be an adult carrying the wound.
Right to Protection from Abuse:
In 2011, the crimes
against children reported a 24% increase from the previous year with a total of
33,098 cases of crimes against children, reported in the country during 2011,
as compared to 26,694 cases during 2010. These numbers from Indian Social
Statistics Report on Children 2012
account to the reported crimes on children. There are several crimes
including child sexual abuse, which goes unreported, as a child is too innocent
to comprehend whether his body is being abused or not. The discomfort
experienced during abuse is often subdued by threats given by the same adults
who indulge in child sexual abuse.
The most
vulnerable are the children from below poverty line families who are sent to
work for full-time or part-time, thus exposing them to all kinds of abuse –
verbal, physical, emotional as well as sexual. According to Child Protection
report by India Governance the Ministry of Home Affairs, GOI, estimates that 90
percent of trafficking of children accounts to sexual exploitation and is
within the country itself. Many of these trafficked children are as young as 8
yrs of age. The report also states that commercial sexual exploitation of
children accounts for Rs. 11,000 crores of the Rs. 40,000 crores commercial sex
industry giving a share of over 25% of the revenues. Such is the deplorable and
shocking aspects of child abuse.
While not all
forms of child abuse account to sexual, but a majority of it is. The other
forms scar the child permanently, be it physical or emotional denying the child
from enjoying his childhood. Only stricter law enforcement on culprits and
empathy towards children together can minimise child abuse.
Right to Protection from
Exploitation and Neglect:
This child right
is interlinked with Child sexual abuse, trafficking, child labour etc, all
accounting to exploitation. Neglect in terms of abandonment by parents, society
and government who play the major roles in protecting these child rights. Every
child needs a happy and worry-free childhood.
Often at MV
Foundation we encounter children who are abandoned by their own parents. For
families below the poverty line, raising a child is a mammoth task owing to
their social status. In some cases, where single parent family where the mother
dies in child birth and father abandoning the family owing to the mounting
responsibilities of raising a child on his own, while earning a livelihood
becomes difficult. Such circumstances lead to abandonment. Alcoholic and abusive
parents are another factor.
Gild child is
often a victim for the social evil of female infanticide where the children are
killed during pregnancy or worse still abandoned in the hospitals and streets
after delivery. This practice is because if the patriarchal mindset in people
of India. Such instances are not rare even in urban areas. Hence most of the
orphans one encounters in India are girls.
Right to be Heard and
Participate Freely:
Children often
try to communicate in several creative ways to express themselves about how
they feel. However, most of the adults and the society are too busy in their
own world to listen to the child and understand his needs. A lot of child
issues can be solved by listening to a child and allowing him to express freely
without fear of judgment. This will ensure the participation from the child and
encourages him to communicate freely.
Artistic expression of a child named Saraswathi who is a rescued
from child labour by MV Foundation volunteers
A fun-filled activity
of drawing class at MV Foundation girls’ camp conducted by student volunteer
Chitra,
gave a lot of insight into the mindset of the children at the hostel. While
some of the sketches were just doodles, some had profound underlying meaning in
them when we correlated them with the case studies of the individual child. Of
the 40 students who were given a free hand to draw whatever they wished, at the
end of the whole exercise, Chitra reported 19 sketches with an image of a
house, 12 featured nature, 2 featured dolls/ girl child, 2 with Mickey Mouse
cartoon character, 2 with images of Indian God Ganesha, 1 with a police
station, 1 with a colourful dress and 1 with Indian flag. Such were the expressions of the children in
one 30 minutes exercise. The teachers at MV Foundation confirmed that the
children who drew home images had a longing for family life, while the children
who drew nature scenes and animals, were better at comprehending etc. This
report is further analysed for details that can reveal the innermost and
underlying psychological feelings in the children.
Right to Leisure and Free
Time:
Every child has
a right to free time. While we say this we have at least 47% of the primary and
upper primary schools without playgrounds, which are quite appalling. Though
the right to compulsory education is implemented, our education system and
parental aspirations puts unnecessary pressures on the child to constantly
study or indulge in activities that the child may not necessarily enjoy.
Sometimes this attitude of parents is not even considered as denying this child
leisure and free time but rather as smothering affection in India. Such
practices are largely adopted by parents for fulfilling their own aspirations.
Irrespective of adults’ aspirations or love, every child should not be denied
of his basic childhood pleasures of exploring the world with his eyes, feel the
nature and experience the awe of life.
Lack of
facilities to indulge in outdoor sports or very low metabolic rate in children
both in urban and rural areas lead to different set of health complications
both physical and mental. In urban India, where 30% of the Indian population
lives, especially with middle level income group families, child obesity is
increasing at an alarming level owing to the sedentary lifestyles and living in
closed quarters of apartment complexes. In rural areas the problems for
children are multi-fold and they double up to work with their parents for
livelihood which erases any leisure time they might have.
Right to Family Life:
Every child
deserves to be with his family and develop the bonding to know that he is
loved, taken care of and nurtured into a positive and a healthy adult. Without
going into details spending time with family increases the productivity in
children and in turn making them brighter students in the classroom. With growing divorce rates in adults,
abandonment statistics, single
parenting, nuclear families, displacement from habitats all add up to the
denial of a healthy family life in children. Adults should take necessary steps
and measures that the children are not denied of this basic necessity for
developing a beautiful mind and a healthy body while enjoying family life.
Some Contradictions and Challenges
The very definition of child is a big
question when protecting Child Rights. UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child) defines a child as anyone below 18 years of age where as
Indian Labour department doesn’t consider anyone above 14 years working as a
child. This creates a lot of confusion for law enforcement agencies who
implement Child Labour Act, as an adolescent of 14 years age is legally allowed
to work.
Another contradiction with one of the
defined Child Rights – Right to Education emphasizes on getting the primary and
upper primary level education for each child without failing anyone till class
VIII. Each child’s comprehension level varies irrespective of their age which
is not accounted for in this type of instruction. Our education system is
largely based on age groups in classroom. This may not work, owing to the
levels of comprehension in a child. However, the authorities do not conduct any
checks and measures for gauging the child’s comprehension levels in education
but merely pass the student to the next level until the child reaches Class
VIII.
MV Foundation’s Bridge Course
In government schools the education
standards are very low at primary and upper primary levels that most of the
students are sent to MV Foundation run Bridge school for a few months to
improve the child’s comprehension level. In a bridge course the child is taught
alphabet based on phonetics and his earlier life irrespective of age. Only
comprehension levels are assessed before moving the child to a new group where
the next level of classes is conducted in arithmetic, science and languages
etc. The transition from learning alphabets and identifying the letters, words
and framing their own sentences is fast with this kind of instruction.
The
Bridge Course is the cornerstone for MV Foundation says Sucheta Mahajan in her
research report under the name ‘Education for Social Change”.
The results speak for themselves. Under
the complete care of residential teachers children are able to read, write and
comprehend languages, do basic arithmetic and understand subjects like natural
and physical sciences apart from following a holistic lifestyle in a matter of
12-16 months at MV Foundation. Such practice of bridge school method of
teaching can be adapted by government run residential schools and educational
institutions and also the private schools to ease the stress on education and
curriculum. This will ensure more freedom on the part of the child to make
informed career choices when he grows up to be an adult.
Right to Education (RTE) is nowhere in
place or applies to a child after he attains age of 14. However, most of the
vocational courses offered in India, for earning livelihood or even helping in
choosing a higher education stream starts after completing Class X, including
for obtaining skill-based training. With RTE limiting the child’s education, by
removing the compulsory rule once he attains age of 14 yrs, may not be able to
motivate him to complete class X to pursue further studies. This hinders the
child’s pursuit of acquiring knowledge and encourages them to drop out from
school after class VIII. RTE should be extended to Class X or till choosing a
skill based educational course which will not only empower the child and secure
his future and also ease the financial burden on the nation in terms of welfare
measures or providing employment to future generations.
Child Line
As of March 2011, this national child
protection service is in operation in 30 States and Union Territories, 172
cities, through its 415 partner organisations, and receives 2.5 million calls
per year across India. It has received a total of 21 million calls since its
inception ranging from all the aspects of child concerns directly by children
and responsible adults.
Despite having such service, a child in
India is often abused and it goes unreported. Only child friendly law
enforcement, empathy in understanding
and implementing Child Rights can restore childhood at all levels and save the
children from abuse.
Conclusion
"We are guilty of many errors and many
faults, but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting the
foundation of life. Many of the things we need can wait. The child cannot.
Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made and
his senses are being developed. To him we cannot answer
"Tomorrow". His name is ‘Today’"."
-Gabriela Mistral, 1948
