Children’s Day

Children’s Day

By Dr Arvind Kumar

Today is 14th November; the birth anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister, late Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, this day is celebrated as Children’s Day throughout the nation. Many countries, including Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, hold Universal Children's Day events on November 20 to mark the anniversaries of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, other countries hold events on different dates, such as the fourth Wednesday in October (Australia) and November 14 (India). Universal Children's Day is not observed in the United States, although a similar observance, National Child's Day, is held on the first Sunday in June. However, the plight of children in India is deplorable as can be judged from following facts:

Ø  One third of the world’s children living in poverty are in India;

Ø  Every 6th girl-child’s death is due to gender discrimination, also known as female infanticide;

Ø  Over 10 million children go to sleep on the pavement each night hungry and unprotected;

Ø  Over 40% of children live in poverty and extreme hardship

Ø  Nearly half of India’s children are deprived of their fundamental right to education each day;

Ø  A startling two-thirds of girl-children cannot read or write;

Ø  An estimated 111 million children struggling as child labourers - most often working in hazardous and degrading conditions;

Ø  The third largest crime in India after drugs and gun smuggling is child trafficking – over 45,000 children go missing each year;

Ø  Over 2 million children, mainly girls aged 5-15, are forced into prostitution and sexual slavery; and

Ø  Each year 500,000+ children are forced into the sex trade with an annual increase of 10%. 

So, on this occasion of Children’s Day, let’s think as to whether we are worth celebrating a Children’s Day with the viral existence of such evil practices or not. Let’s do our best to mitigate the woes of children and help them flourish in a safe and healthy environment. They are the future of the nation. Only then can we say have a Happy Children’s Day.

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