Deprived Childhood

But, if you ask him his age, he replies curtly, ‘Eight and a half ‘. As if he has time to talk with another of those silly people who keep bothering with questions! He had to do his work. I asked him if he goes to school and he said, ‘yes’. ‘Which class’ I asked and got no reply. After a few minutes, he turned to me and whispered, ‘Dada, I do not go to school. I work here. But do not tell this to anyone.’ I promised him that I would not.  He works from six in the morning to 10 at night, with just a short break for lunch at three. He goes home then and after having a lunch of a little puffed rice, returns to the shop again. And all this hard work for a mere 20 rupees per day. He tells me that he works to help his mother, who works as a maid, and his smaller brother, who is a servant  He wants to study but his financial condition does not allow him to do so him. However he has not lost hope. He has found happiness even in his struggle for existence and he also nurtures a dream to live the way he wants.

There are thousands of unfortunate children whom we see everyday wiping and cleaning cars on the roads, picking up pieces of junk around the markets, sweeping the floors of the shops and serving the customers in restaurants. Dressed in tatters, dirty and uncared for, they spend their days fighting against starvation and death. Their only worry is how they will survive the next day. They only want to get two meals a day and a roof over their heads when they sleep at night.

Child labour is illegal in India according to the Child Labour Abolition Act. But it does not seem so when we look around us. There are countless children employed under harsh conditions. They work either to support themselves or their families. They work for much more than eight hours everyday but receive meager wages, as children are ready to work for any amount of money. They are ruthlessly exploited by employers as children are easier to fool. Their eagerness to earn money often leads them into dishonest ways. Young children are trained to steal and they are often forced to cut off their limbs. Young girls are forced into prostitution. They lose their innocence and come face to face with a grim and dark reality. Young girls who are appointed as domestic help often work just like slaves, without any kind of payment, but are still mercilessly beaten and tortured if there is even a small mistake on their part. They are starved, attacked with sticks and sometimes even sharp objects such as knives. India has the largest number of street children in the world in the age group of eight to eighteen years. They live on the streets and so they have no protection during disasters and riots. They have to fend for themselves all the time.

These unfortunate children truly do not deserve this inhuman treatment. The plight of these child labourers seems to go unnoticed in many cases. Even in the 21st century, where India is supposed to have become a modern and advanced nation in many ways, people still do not show any pity towards these helpless kids. They are still treated with cruelty and mockery by the so called educated. The people simply do not care what happens to these children. In fact, this couldn’t care attitude of the people gives the corrupt people the courage to carry on with such exploitation. It is time that people sit up and take notice of these grim but true facts. One is not sure if just passing a legislation that bans the child labour is enough to show our concern for these hapless children. Are we really true to ourselves when we argue they also like us should enjoy their childhood to the fullest possible extent?