Withering Flowers
Withering Flowers
The family of kumar’s ( name changed ) stay adjacent to the Puduchery assembly buildings. They are in the business of tender coconuts and their 12 year old daughter is in the flesh trade apparently forced by her parents. In the mornings she plays happily on the streets with her brothers and cousins at the park adjacent to the assembly and in the evenings others plays with her strangers, tourists etc., Even though she seems to be happy there is something in her face which seeks for a divine intervention. Need for a home is brimming in her eyes where she could be herself. Millions of street children like her are at the mercy of careless parents, hungry pimps , paedophiles and police. They are subject to malnutrition, hunger , health problems, substance abuse, theft and the list is endless. There are thousands of cases like Miss Kumar who needs immediate attention from policy makers and people. But they are all so busy with other things more important than the withering life of poor young Indians.
According to the Census of the United Nations, India has the largest number of street children in the whole world which is around 18 million and they are concentrated in the major cities of our country. This figure is soaring everyday because of population explosion, unemployment, urbanization, lack of political will and changing social and economic patterns...The rift between rich and poor is getting wider and the number of people living below poverty line is increasing at an alarming rate. The World Bank's definition of the poverty line**, for under developed countries, like India, is US$ 1/day/person. As per this definition, more than 75% of all Indians are, probably, below the poverty line! The Government of India says , poverty line for the urban areas is Rs. 296 per month and for rural areas Rs. 276 per month, i.e. people in India who earn less than Rs. 10 per day. At this level of earning, even in a poor country like India, survival on Rs 10 per day is nightmare..and the bitter reality is that these things are happening when we are dreaming of superpower by 2020.
India is part of the UN declaration of the rights of child signed in 1959 and adopted the national policy in 1974. It is signatory to the world declaration on the survival , protection and development of children.
Article 39 of the directive principles of state policy pledges that, "Right of children and the young to be protected against exploitation and to opportunities for healthy development, consonant with freedom and dignity". A commitment both at international and national level and a breach of it is termed human rights violation. This is what India is violating and who is to be blamed or punished for this gross negligence. Though the Government has in place departments and organizations for the welfare of children and women yet they lack the teeth and power to put these laws in place.
There are now hundreds of NGO’s who have taken up the work which the government should rightly be doing to ease the present grave situation of growing street children menace. S Aloycius who runs the kirubai trust for street children houses around 27 children in her rented house at puduchery. She laments that, “ We bring the kids to our home but within few weeks their parents forcibly take their kids away. here we take days to clean them from their body infections, regularize their bowel movements, teach them good habits and all our efforts are wasted once the kids get back to the streets ”..
She is trying to co-ordinate with the government and nodal agencies to make street children free puduchery in the years to come.
Father Stanley Swaminathan who is the director of social work department at Sacred heart college, Tirupathur says, “ Four fundamental needs has to be addressed to rout out the menace of street children, Nutrition, Affection, Recreation and Education ”.
He also adds that it is not enough to give a roof for these kids but it is also vital to give them dignity. Because once they understand the value of dignity they understand the value of life . There are lots of good work silently being done to help the kids on road but lot more needs to be done.
We Indians take the pledge that all Indians are our brothers and sisters. Celebrate independence and republic days and yet when we
see kids everyday on the roads begging, vending and loitering in rags we do not care or dare to approach the concerned authorities to do the needful for them. Its not that we should take them home and share what we have with them but atleast can inform the concerned departments, NGO’s or call childline toll free number of 1098. This way we can make the officials do their work for which they are paid and give chance for the social workers to reach out to the ones in need. Also we can send a strong message to the policy makers and make them understand the gravity of the situation.
Do you want to see a flower wither away for nothing on the streets or see it bloom in a garden…You decide
The family of kumar’s ( name changed ) stay adjacent to the Puduchery assembly buildings. They are in the business of tender coconuts and their 12 year old daughter is in the flesh trade apparently forced by her parents. In the mornings she plays happily on the streets with her brothers and cousins at the park adjacent to the assembly and in the evenings others plays with her strangers, tourists etc., Even though she seems to be happy there is something in her face which seeks for a divine intervention. Need for a home is brimming in her eyes where she could be herself. Millions of street children like her are at the mercy of careless parents, hungry pimps , paedophiles and police. They are subject to malnutrition, hunger , health problems, substance abuse, theft and the list is endless. There are thousands of cases like Miss Kumar who needs immediate attention from policy makers and people. But they are all so busy with other things more important than the withering life of poor young Indians.
According to the Census of the United Nations, India has the largest number of street children in the whole world which is around 18 million and they are concentrated in the major cities of our country. This figure is soaring everyday because of population explosion, unemployment, urbanization, lack of political will and changing social and economic patterns...The rift between rich and poor is getting wider and the number of people living below poverty line is increasing at an alarming rate. The World Bank's definition of the poverty line**, for under developed countries, like India, is US$ 1/day/person. As per this definition, more than 75% of all Indians are, probably, below the poverty line! The Government of India says , poverty line for the urban areas is Rs. 296 per month and for rural areas Rs. 276 per month, i.e. people in India who earn less than Rs. 10 per day. At this level of earning, even in a poor country like India, survival on Rs 10 per day is nightmare..and the bitter reality is that these things are happening when we are dreaming of superpower by 2020.
India is part of the UN declaration of the rights of child signed in 1959 and adopted the national policy in 1974. It is signatory to the world declaration on the survival , protection and development of children.
Article 39 of the directive principles of state policy pledges that, "Right of children and the young to be protected against exploitation and to opportunities for healthy development, consonant with freedom and dignity". A commitment both at international and national level and a breach of it is termed human rights violation. This is what India is violating and who is to be blamed or punished for this gross negligence. Though the Government has in place departments and organizations for the welfare of children and women yet they lack the teeth and power to put these laws in place.
There are now hundreds of NGO’s who have taken up the work which the government should rightly be doing to ease the present grave situation of growing street children menace. S Aloycius who runs the kirubai trust for street children houses around 27 children in her rented house at puduchery. She laments that, “ We bring the kids to our home but within few weeks their parents forcibly take their kids away. here we take days to clean them from their body infections, regularize their bowel movements, teach them good habits and all our efforts are wasted once the kids get back to the streets ”..
She is trying to co-ordinate with the government and nodal agencies to make street children free puduchery in the years to come.
Father Stanley Swaminathan who is the director of social work department at Sacred heart college, Tirupathur says, “ Four fundamental needs has to be addressed to rout out the menace of street children, Nutrition, Affection, Recreation and Education ”.
He also adds that it is not enough to give a roof for these kids but it is also vital to give them dignity. Because once they understand the value of dignity they understand the value of life . There are lots of good work silently being done to help the kids on road but lot more needs to be done.
We Indians take the pledge that all Indians are our brothers and sisters. Celebrate independence and republic days and yet when we
see kids everyday on the roads begging, vending and loitering in rags we do not care or dare to approach the concerned authorities to do the needful for them. Its not that we should take them home and share what we have with them but atleast can inform the concerned departments, NGO’s or call childline toll free number of 1098. This way we can make the officials do their work for which they are paid and give chance for the social workers to reach out to the ones in need. Also we can send a strong message to the policy makers and make them understand the gravity of the situation.
Do you want to see a flower wither away for nothing on the streets or see it bloom in a garden…You decide
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