Comparative Narratives of Childhood - Research Paper Example

Comparative Narratives of Childhood Introduction Many children around the globe go through varying degrees of hardship and trial; some are lucky enough to go through the normal challenges of childhood, but some others are made to endure major physical and mental challenges. This paper shall present a narrative on a child in India who. like other children in the country, are forced to work at a very early age. An analysis of India’s status as a country and the status of its children in the country shall be comprehensively evaluated. In India, a ban was placed on children below the age of 14 from working; however, this ban has not been strictly imposed. Sonali, a 12 year old girl from the eastern state of West Bengali is one of these children (Pandey). She worked for two years as a domestic servant in Calcutta and her job was mostly to cook for a five-member household and to clean a three-storey house. She also had to endure severe punishments from her employer; one time when she was delayed in serving dinner, burning hot food was poured on her hands. With the help of a neighbor, she managed to escape and was later restored to her family (Pandey). More than a million minor children work at homes or food stalls and the Save the Children organization which works at West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharasta have been monitoring the employment of children and the abuses visited upon them. One of the dangers for these children working is the sexual and physical abuse which is often inflicted upon them. However, even as the government and other private organizations are seeking to impose the provisions of the ban on minority children working, thousands of children are still working in hazardous industries, including firecracker and matchstick factories, carpet weaving, embroidery, or stitching footballs (Pandey). Most of these children are forced to live these lives of labor because of severe poverty conditions. The Republic of India is an independent country in South Asia which is considered to be second most populous country in the world and also the world’s largest democracy. Since the 1990s, it has consistently risen as one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a large and skilled workforce; however, it is also plagued with widespread poverty. The country is currently in dispute with Pakistan over the Kashmir region; it has nuclear weapons capability; and enjoys a prolific movie industry with its Bollywood movies (BBC News). It is a federal republic and the head of state is President Pratibha Patil and the head of government is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Political parties of this country include the Indian National Congress (INC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India-Marxist, and other smaller national parties (Department of State). Its capital is New Delhi and its largest and most populous city is Mumbai; and based on 2010 surveys, it has a population of 1.2 billion people covering 3.1 million sq.km of land which varies from Himalayas to flat river valleys and deserts in its west (Department of State). Its languages include Hindi, English, and about 16 official languages. Major religions in the country include Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism (BBC News). Its monetary unit is the Indian Rupee and in 2009, its GDP estimates totaled $1.095 trillion with a per capital GDP of $3,100. Its natural resources include coal, iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, chromite, thorium, limestone, barite, diamonds, and crude oil (Department of State). Its agricultural products make up about 17% of its GDP with its products mainly being wheat, rice, coarse grains, oilseeds, sugar, cotton, and tea. Its industry is about 28.2% of its GDP with products like textiles, jute, processed food, steel, cement, aluminum, petroleum, chemicals, and computer software (Department of State). Its services and transportation make up about 54% of its GDP. India’s size, population, and strategic location are valuable commodities for India in the international affairs (Department of State). It is the leader of the developing world and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). It is further strengthening its political and commercial ties with the US, Japan, the EU, Iran, China, and the ASEAN. It is also a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Department of State). It is also an active member of the UN and is seeking a permanent seat with the UN Security Council and starting this year, it will be a non-permanent member of the Security Council. Children in India India has made its show of commitment in order to ensure that the basic rights of children are protected. So far, there has been major progress in these efforts since infant mortality rates were down, child survival has been improved, literacy rates have increased, and school dropout rates have fallen (Infochange). Children’s rights however, have yet to be properly secured. With the current age of globalization, India is also struggling to secure the basic health and shelter of their children due to social sector cutbacks and policies which prevent communities from accessing the lands, water, and resources which they have depended on (Infochange). As a result, children are deprived of their basic social services; are displaced by forced migration; forced into the streets; are being trafficked across borders; and are engaged in full time or part-time labor (Infochange). About one third of India’s population is below 18 years of age, making it the country with the largest young population in the world. Only about 35% of births are registered and this trend impacts largely on their name and nationality (Infochange). One out of 16 children have been known to die before they even reach the age of 1 year and one out of 11 die before they are even 5 years of age; 35% of the developing world’s low birth weight children are born in India; and 40% of child malnutrition in the developing world comes from India (Infochange). For every 1000 boys, there are only 927 females, even less in some areas; out of 100 children, 19 are out of school; out of every 100 who enroll, 70 drop out by the time they’re in their secondary level; out of every 100 children who drop out, 66 are girls; and 65% of girls in India are married by the time they are 18 and become mothers almost immediately (Infochange). India houses the highest number of child workers in the world; it has also the highest number of sexually abused children in the world “with a child below 16 raped every 155th minute, a child below 10 every 13th hour, and about one in every 10 sexually abused children at any point in time” (Infochange). In 1989, the UN adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child; and India ratified such in 1992. The convention emphasizes the right of the State to set forth provisions for women and children; it prohibits children below 14 from being employed to work in any hazardous environment; it prohibits abuse of children of tender age and to not be forced by economic necessity to be entered in vocations not suited to their age; it requires children to be given opportunities and facilities to develop into healthy children under conditions of freedom and dignity; and it provides for free and compulsory education for children until they reach the age of 14 (Infochange). Food insecurity is one of the issues which India’s children are facing. One in every three malnourished children is from India (Infochange). Malnutrition is caused by inadequate food and nutrient intake due to lack of food, due to the presence of gastrointestinal parasites, and due to a variety of childhood diseases. Their public health services in the remote and rural areas of India are very much depressed; hence, the children and their families have inadequate access to health and other social services (Infochange). In a sad twist of fate, their Supreme Court, at one point, even had to rule for children in the country to gain access to nutritious food which is one of the most basic rights of any human being. As was previously mentioned, India has the highest number of child laborers in the world. Reports have revealed that about 400,000 children between 7 and 14 years of age work for about 14-16 hours a day in cotton seed production and more reports also reveal that children aged 6 to 14 years represent about 40% of the labor force in the area of precious stone cutting (Infochange). Authorities are also pointing out how it is important for government officials to address the disparity between the children’s right to free education and the restriction on child labor. These concerned authorities point out that these children are driven into labor because they have no access to free education. The government has yet to set forth options for children in relation to free education. In the meantime, these children have to work in order to finance their schooling and to support themselves and their families. The dominant issue which is making the child labor problem even more problematic is the issue of poverty. Some families who are already laboring in factories and in difficult jobs in India are often forced to include their children in their work. When these families are forced to borrow from their employers, and later, are unable to pay such loans, they are prompted to bring their children to work in the factories in order to help pay the loans. In the end, these children end up working for many years in these factories for their parents’ debts; in some instances, these debts amount to no more than 20 dollars (Dhariwal). Illegal sweat shops abound in India and these sweatshops have been known to employ children who were promised better lives; but are living in cramp and filthy rooms under lock and key while being forced to work 14-16 hour days. For the most part, concerned authorities are pointing out that although India has laws and policies which are meant to protect Indian children against child labor, however, these laws are largely ineffective (Dhariwal). Millions of children in India are still working as cheap laborers and the government, even the international community, cannot seem to help them. Works Cited Background Note: India. US Department of State. 2010. 07 March 2011 from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3454.htm Dhariwal, N. Child labour - India's 'cheap commodity'. 2006. 07 March 2011 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5059106.stm India country profile. BBC News. 2011. 07 March 2011 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1154019.stm Pandey, G. Indian children work despite ban. BBC News. 2007. 07 March 2011 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7036981.stm Status of children in India. Infochange. 2011. 07 March 2011 from http://infochangeindia.org/200706196471/Agenda/Child-Rights-In-India/Status-of-children-in-India.html Read More