It is a terrifying sight to see so many children suffer not in the hands of faith but at the hands of adult humans who consider them nothing short of a commodity to be used for all the work they deem fit. Child rights have been ratified not just on national but on international level as well.
The agreement done on the international level provides rights to the children which are listed below:
1. Right to Survival: This again includes several rights including right to be born, right to minimum standards of food, shelter and clothing, right to live with dignity and right to health care, to safe drinking water, nutritious food, a clean and safe environment, and information to help them stay healthy.
2. Right to Protection: Right to be protected from all sorts of violence, right to be protected from neglect, right to be protected from physical and sexual abuse and right to be protected from dangerous drugs
3. Right to Participation : Right to freedom of opinion, right to freedom of expression, right to freedom of association, right to information, and right to participate in any decision making that involves him/her directly or indirectly.
4. Right to Development : Right to education, right to learn, right to relax and play and right to all forms of development – emotional, mental and physical.
These rights have helped clarify, on the international level, the standards with which a child should be treated. It is important to note that these rights are granted and every child should have them. Though it has taken several years to come to agreement of these rights and many institutions have been formed in order to give these rights to children but when it comes to underdeveloped or developing nations, like India, the battle has just begun.
These rights might be mandatory but people following it are few. People mostly indulge their children in child labor when they are unable to provide for the family and the only other alternative is them dying due to starvation. Nothing is being done for these starving families that are put in a position where survival requires sacrifices.
The overall condition of the nation including the children will only become better when every human being is at least provided with the three basic needs, food, clothing and shelter.
A Few Statistics Related To Children in India
1. Right to education, right to learn, right to relax and play and right to all forms of development – emotional, mental and physical.
2. If the figures for children between the ages of 5 and 18 years of age are looked, the condition becomes much worse as 33 million children of this age group are working.
3. 150 children go missing every day in India. Kidnapping and abduction are a major cause of concern in India.
4. The 2nd biggest cause of suicide committed by children is the failure of examination.
In case of nutrition, the condition does not become any better.
1. 38% of the children below the age of 5 are malnourished.
2. About 60% of the children between 6 months to 5 years are anemic.
3. 21% of the children were born in the houses in the year 2015-2016.
4. A little over 90% of the children aging between 5 months to 23 months do not receive adequate diet.
5. Girl child marriage is a crime but in India, 42% of the married women were married when they were children.