CHILD TRAFFICKING

A gruesome word disguising a more gruesome activity, child trafficking is best described as an inhuman blight upon the civilized world. To put it in layman terms, children are used as a form of currency for various illegal activities. An apt description would define it as the "recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, and/or receipt" of a child for the purpose of exploitation. It is a rampant activity in many parts of the worlds. And an estimate by the International Labour organisation puts the number at 1.2 million annually. Even though it has been internationally recognised as a major human rights violation, only recently are the efforts to tackle it are becoming prevalent and decisive.

Well, a prominent question that arises is, why? Why is a child drawn into a savage and barbaric world, and his innocence skewered by trauma and suffering? In all cases, the intended use of the child is not always known. But the major objectives of child trafficking would be Forced child labour, child begging. Child labour refers to the employment of children under 14 years. Overall, child labour can take many forms, including domestic servitude, work in agriculture, service, and manufacturing industries.

Forced child begging is a type of begging in which boys and girls under the age of eighteen are forced to beg through psychological and physical coercion. The severity of this form of trafficking is starting to gain global recognition, with the European Union, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the United Nations, among others, beginning to emphasize its pertinence. In many instances children who are forced to beg by third parties are often removed from their families, surrender the majority of their income to their exploiter, endure unsafe work and living conditions, and are at times maimed to increase profits. To ensure that these children are fully lured into this vicious system, children are maimed so that other means of livelihood are closed to them. Furthermore, many of the gangs which run networks of forced begging have heavy drug involvement, thus the children under their control are often turned into drug addicts in order for them to become further reliant on their exploiters.

The children face abuse on a daily basis, which dents their psychological well being and also deteriorating mental and physical health. These children receive little or no education and have little hope for the future. Children who work on the streets typically have little or no knowledge of their rights, leaving them especially susceptible to exploitation both as juveniles and later as adults.

There have been many approaches defined to tackle the issue of child trafficking, but a victim-centered human rights approach to combating trafficking has been internationally renowned as the best possible strategy when addressing this issue, with recourse focusing on punishing the exploiter and rehabilitating the child. In many instances the victims are often punished for unlawful acts performed as a direct result of being trafficked. Also, the victims must be given protection and the exploiters must be prosecuted to truly have any impact. The victims, even though rescued from such a racket, must be provided with a means of sustenance. Even though a person may be rehabilitated, the effect on the mind will be felt throughout his/her life. 

Child Labor in India – A DISCOMFORTING TRUTH!

How many of us actually know “what child labor is?” Child Labor means -Children under 14 years of age, some as young as 4 or 5, toiling hard every day just to get a square meal.

In INDIA, a country with humongous population of 120 crores we often witness situations, involving a 7-year old serving chai/ an 8-year old washing cars/ 12-year old as delivery boys, and yet we conveniently choose to avoid them. Many industries, factories, small retailers and many more employ children to work because this basically gets their work done without burning a hole in their pocket. Just imagine a daily life situation where a 6-7 year old child delivers tea at your office, do you ever think what is his age was and when his last perfect meal was? No. Cause we all are too ignorant. Why do we become inhumane for that moment? Yes, this is a discomforting truth.

Absence of compulsory education at the primary level, parental ignorance regarding the bad effects of child labor, the lack of implementation of child labor laws and penalties, non-availability and non-accessibility of schools, boring and unpractical school curriculum and cheap child labor are the main factors in India which lead to child labor. Indian is home to close 13 million Child Laborers (census 2001). The Indian Constitution says that child labor is a wrong practice and standards should be set by law to eliminate it. The Child Labor Act of 1986 implemented by the government of India makes child labor illegal in many regions and sets the minimum age of employment at 14 years. Exploiters threaten kids in many ways and the child has no way out but to lie to keep his “job.”

UNICEF estimates that India with its larger population has the highest number of laborers in the world less than 14 years of age, while sub-Saharan African countries have the highest percentage of children who are deployed as child labor. Government statistics say that there are 2 crore (20 million) child laborers in India, a country that has ambitions of becoming a global superpower in a few years. Non-governmental agencies assert that the figure is more than 6 crore (60 million) including agricultural workers; some claim that the number could be 100 million, if one were to define all children out of school as child laborers.

In 2013, 920 prosecutions and 596 child labor law convictions took place. In previous years, despite rescue and rehabilitation of child laborers, prosecutions have not always taken place. In cases for which child labor prosecutions were launched, resolution has been unduly delayed because the judicial system is backlogged and overburdened. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines to all state governments on how to handle cases of child trafficking. These guidelines outline the specific steps that police and district officials must take when handling cases of child trafficking and forced child labor. In 2013, the state governments of Andhra Pradesh, Kolkata, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu provided anti-trafficking training to police officers.

Complaints about hazardous child labor can be made through a toll-free helpline, Child Line. In 2013, Child Line expanded to 67 additional cities and now operates in a total of 269 cities across India. After a complaint is received on Child Line (1098), the complaint is given to the police to investigate and rescue children.

Thousands of affluent Indians hire youngsters for household chores and to look after their own kids, under the pretext of providing some money to the parents of the child laborers and of offering a better life than he/she would normally have had. This is Bonded Child Labor. An estimated 14 percent of children in India between the ages of 5 and 14 are engaged in child labor activities, including carpet production.

Many NGOs like Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Care India, Talaash Association, Child Rights and You, etc. have been working to eradicate child labour in India. Looking at a various above-mentioned factors, we at Hcube-Human Helping Hands believe that this grotesque, abysmal, and awful practice of child labor can be eradicated from this Indian Society. We pledge to lend a helping hand to those children and admit these child labors to the nearest orphanages where they’ll be taken care of, and see to it that the person employing them will be punished.

Child abuse (­The hidden demon)

Child abuse is the physical emotional maltreatment or neglect of a child or children. Children in their early years are dependent on adults (Their parents, guardians etc). This makes them vulnerable to various forms of abuse like neglect, physical abuse, psychological or emotional abuse.  Dealing with these types of abuse should be of utmost priority to the governing bodies.

Physical abuse involves physical aggression directed at a child by an adult. Bruises, scratches, burns, broken bones, lacerations, as well as repeated "mishaps," and rough treatment that could cause physical injury, can be physical abuse. Most of the physical abuse occurs as a result of child discipline. Corporal punishment, has since then been considered as degrading treatment by the Human Rights commission of the United Nations. Our culture, unfortunately considers corporal punishment as an effective way of disciplining the child. Though it achieves the temporary goal of making a child obedient, it doesn’t make him understand why. This leads to emotional and physical trauma, which is ultimately degrading to the child.

Emotional abuse is defined as the production of psychological and social defects in the growth of a child as a result of behaviour such as loud yelling, coarse and rude attitude, inattention, harsh criticism, and denigration of the child's personality. This leads to the child distancing himself from the abuser, and trying to fight back against the abuser. All this induces a feeling of helplessness in the child.

 Child neglect is the failure of a parent or other person with responsibility for the child to provide needed food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or supervision to the degree that the child's health, safety, and well-being are threatened with harm. Neglecting a child could have serious repercussions on his ability to mingle with people socially and forming relationships.

Child abuse can result in immediate adverse physical effects but it is also strongly associated with associated with developmental issues and with many chronic physical and psychological effects. Also, maltreated children may grow up to be maltreating adults.

Effective ways to address the issue of child abuse is to eradicate child labour. Child labour is considered to be a form of exploitation and abuse of children. Paediatricians can help identify children at risk of maltreatment and intervene with the aid of a social worker or provide access to treatment that addresses potential risk factors such as maternal depression. And also awareness should be spread among adults to ensure that they do not mistreat their children, and ensure that they are not vulnerable, emotionally or physically.

Let it be a responsibility for us to stop the abuse of children, and fight back against the perpetrators of the vilest form of violation of human rights and ensure that this world is made a better place for children to grow and interact in. Let their lives bask in joy and happiness.

Spreading Happiness | By Human Helping Hands