The television channels went on and on about who should or should not be the Indian cricket coach, why Ford rejected the offer of coaching Team India, later on about the ODI and Test squad selected sans our non-performing Sehwag, and much later about Bob Woolmer investigation which after weeks of speculation confirmed natural causes behind his death.
And ironically, all the 4 news items above are related to cricket which is the top most priority in our country.
Our Country India has atleast 13 million workers below the age of 14, which is the highest in the world.
What has the government done about it?
The road side tea stall employs a kid to clean the glasses; the street chaat guy we frequent, has a kid employed to wash the plates, we just enjoyed our spicy panipuri; the highway dhabas, we dont mind driving all the way to relish his dhaabewaale sabzis and rotis has a kid somewhere inside cleaning and washing; or even some small hotels where a young teen comes to clean the table and remove the plates. These are situations where children are employed ..... we see them and ignore.....this is because none of us are bothered. We seem to busy with our own lives.
There are places where these young, delicate fragile bodies are employed and no one will ever notice.....fireworks industry, match stick industry, leather industry, tanneries, and work in much more hazardous environments. Some studies have also shown that children are employed in mining. Even the lovely, expensive embroidery and zari work are mostly done by those tender hands.
Is anyone listening? Not at all.
As long as our work is getting done, we tend to carry on with our business. How selfish can we get?
Poverty, hunger and debt has driven these kids to work at a young age (when they must be playing and enjoying their childhood), so that he can earn two square meals for his family. Cheap labour and ease of training those young minds for the specific jobs has only helped the employers to take advantage. Our officials are in nexus with these employers and this issue is ignored.
We speak of an IT revolution, globalisation, knowledge explosion, communication breakthroughs, increasing economy, branded shoes, designer wear and helping a charitable organisation (funnily enough, even charity,is nowadays a fashion).
But why are we closing our eyes to such exploitations?
Why are we not highlighting their problems even on a day dedicated to it?
Too many questions, far too less answers.
Lack of political will, social lathargy, lackadaisical attitude and complete carelessness on our part has only fuelled the increase in the number of child labourers in India.
Its high time now we all sit up and take notice.
How can these children who are freed from their employers be rehabilitated and given a decent life?
Its time we realise that children need education, freedom, joy at that age and not the burden of his family's debts.
Will we ever be able to give them their innocence or their childhood or atleast a smile back on their faces?
2 comments:
Oh I did not know about this at all. Appalling, and don't even talk about the media they r just misusing whatever power they hv. Newspapers are usually as good as a film magazine and the news channels are worse.
@rafiki..absolutely!
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