Children of a Lesser God -
Child –defined by the constitution as any citizen under 14 years of age. The age for imbibing education and aiming for a starry future. Assisted by the laws of the land. India, a country still in the “developing” category, promises to guarantee every citizen the wherewithal to earn three square meals a day, but in face of the myriad obstacles in front of the government to fulfill the promise made by their forefathers, it yet remains a pipe-dream. Children have to, at an early age, give up this basic Right, and go out to earn their living, and that of their families. The so-called “Child labour”!
High-handed arbitrary interpretation of the Laws of the Land, and the short-sighted “Feel-good” factor of having done a job well, gives the men in khakhi the power to wield the double-edged sword over the heads of these young workers and their parents. Something is definitely skewed here and needs to be set right. This week, Meerut awoke to the news reported by local papers of the “rescue” of about 85 children below 14 years, picked up by the police and lodged in a “Bal Niketan” at Surajkund. They were allegedly lifted from the venues of their occupations – shops and hotels, where they worked voluntarily and learned the tricks of the trade.
The multipronged strategies adopted by the government to remove this badnuma daag from the face of our nation, resulted in the amendment of the Child Labour Act of 1917 time and again, to attempt a guarantee of every child being given the Right to Education. But legislation alone cannot tackle this problem, as it is steeped in the twin taints of poverty and illiteracy, which actually require to be eradicated first ! In 1979, a committee set up for this purpose studied the magnitude of the problem and suggested rectifying measures. The Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act was thus enacted in 1986. This Act prohibits employment of children in “hazardous “ occupations, and allowing them to work for six hours a day in non-hazardous occupations, so that education time of at least two hours a day is assured. It was further suggested that for every child withdrawn from the workforce, the State government would compensate some amount of money into a welfare fund for the child and also guarantee a job for one of the parents, both of which remain a distant dream!
The sight of the young boys picked up by the police with well-meaning intention, showed up the huge holes in the existing laws in our country. Education, by definition, is a learning of skills to equip the subject to handle a future with their own two hands. The heart-rending wails of the “rescued” children, as they pleaded to be released, the panic writ large in their eyes, the bewilderment of wondering what was so wrong with what they were doing in their tender minds- an ignorance of the short-sighted laws of the land in all the concerned people- the law-enforcers and “victims”, led to the most pathetic violation of the Right to Freedom in this world’s largest democracy! Who is ultimately responsible for the tears and sobs of the little ones as they cried through a sleepless dark night, confined within the dilapidated walls of the Children’s “Home”? The little 9-year old who begged to be sent back to his real home? The lengthy legal processes required to now re-unite them with their parents? And what of the ones who don’t have parents? Are they now condemned to live in confinement for the crime of earning their livelihood?
Is learning of non-hazardous skills not an “education”? Would ancient skills like weaving, pottery, zardosi, etc .so much part of India, have survived the centuries without each generation learning them from their parents? It is time to wake up and take stock of the real India. Where governments cannot guarantee the basic means of survival to so many, maybe the word “Education” ought to encompass a wider field of activities, thus empowering the young ones to build their own futures. Any Law in civic society, that strips the subject of his dignity and Right to life, needs a re-dekho for sure! Soch badlo, desh badlega.
Dr. Seema Tyagi
Meerut
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