Children’s Day: A reflection

IN this country there is no social group which does not have a day dedicated to it. There is Teachers’ Day, Children’s Day and other such observances now further expanded by the United Nations calendar of events. Children’s Day is India’s indigenous festival inasmuch as it is commemorated on the birthday of India’s first Prime Minister and freedom fighter, Jawaharlal Nehru. Unfortunately, all observances tend to become rituals over a period of time. No thought is given to the subjects of the celebration except to go through rigmarole in educational institutions where children are a captive audience. None of us care enough to find out statistics of children employed as domestic workers or in tea shops and other forms of labour. It is true that India is a developing country and therefore to compare the development indices of developed countries to ours is not fair. Many families depend on the incomes brought by their adolescent children who are compelled to drop out of school on account of poverty and take up some kind of work.  Article 24 of the Constitution of India prohibits child labour. There are other laws and the Indian Penal Code such as the Juvenile Justice (care and protection) of Children Act-2000, and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Abolition) Act-1986 provide a legal basis to identify, prosecute and stop child labour in India. But there is a huge gap between what the law says and how it is implemented.
The 2001 census estimated the total number of child labourers aged between 5-14 years to be at 12.6 million, out of a total child population of 253 million in that group.  Out of this about 120,000 children were in a hazardous jobs.  However a 2009-2010 nationwide survey found child labour prevalence had reduced to 4.98 million children (or less than 2% of children in 5-14 age group). But other than child labour there is the issue of child malnutrition that needs attention on such a day. Vitamin A and D deficiency among children is rampant. Vitamin A deficiency affects the cognitive abilities of children and could be the cause for their stunted mental growth. Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets which affects the tender bones of children and stunt their physical growth. Children’s Day observance would be a meaningless exercise if due attention is not paid to these health issues as well.