Children in distress express frustration over official apathy

Mumbai, June 4 (UNI) Good food, education minus discrimination, police sensitivity, healthy ambience in rehabilitation centres, timely medical interventions were some of the key suggestions articulated by children in distress at the three-day workshop organised by 'ChildLine1098' here.

Around 169 little voices, from 57 cities across India, spoke on burning issues such as health, education, housing, food and police excesses turning the workshop into a platform of 'National Children's Meet'on friday.

Coming from diverse social backgrounds, these children narrated tales of anger, frustration and exploitation on account of official apathy and an insensitive environment surrounding them.

Lost in the crowd of chit-chatting children, young Anjali supporting her bedridden father said,'' I lost my mother when I was a child and my father was an alcholic. To sustain myself and my father, I started earning some Rs 600 every month. I am dependent on social organisations for my studies.

Nishit Kumar, Head of Awareness and Advocacy with Childline pointed towards a change in the pattern of trafficking and abuse of children across the country in the last one decade.

He stated that each region in the country narrates a specfic pattern of child abuse. Goa is infamous for sexabuse, North-East suffers from drug abuse, fear psychosis and HIV/AIDS, while, literate and peaceful South is deeply sunk in poverty, migration and child labour.

Vaibhavi from Kerala, a class IX student from the most literate state in the country, tried hard to be in her cheerful best, she said,''regular violent quarrels between my achayan (father) and amma (Mother) led to divorce''.

The only child of a lawyer and a nurse both working professionals, Vaibhavi bore the brunt of her parents seperation at a very young age, pushing her to an uncertain future and poverty.

She said, ''amma earns less and it became difficult for us to survive. I am pursuing my studies through a local child centre organisation.

Children in the meet poured their hearts out in the form of paintings, drawing attention towards the rampant abuse by policemen on homeless children, particularly on the streets and on the railway platforms. Some of the paintings highlighted, how errant staff in Juvenile homes regularly abused children by forcing them to do minial jobs.

Mahesh, a destitute himself advocated that improved conditions in Juvenile homes coupled with good education without discrimination would help children like him to become better human beings.

Dancing, scripting skits about their day-to-day experiences and talking to each other, these children kept aside every inhibitions and anxities, wonderfully expressed their opinion, excerting a desire to carry a dream for a better tommorow.

Director General of Police (DGP, Housing), S Chakravarthy appreciated concerns raised by children informing that regular counselling of children develops a different perception on issues associated to their lives.

He also stressed that time and again police personnels were regularly sensitised on how to handle abondaned, lost, orphaned and destitute children.

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