I had thought up ‘n’ number of things to write in the blog today.
The mail I saw this morning moved my heart. Today I want to write about Child Labour.
I hate Child Labour. I am strongly against people employing kids below 18 years of age (I know that its legally 14 years of age) yet I feel not till they are 18 atleast. I feel very bad to see some small kids in the hotels, wait to clean the tables. I feel like calling up somebody and getting the kid out of this situation. But I am not sure what would the impact be? I dont know fearing what I have never complained against any such hotel?
I see them in the motor bike repair shops, fully greased from head to toe. When they do a mistake I see their owners whack them on their head. And I see those innocent kids ducking to take it and yet give their masters a smile. I wonder how the owners can get so angry with such young kids? We err so many times and screw up things terribly, isn’t it but natural for kids to do mistakes? Moreover they are of the age when they should be playing, while they are earning a livelihood, for whatever damn reasons. Despite all this they get beaten up.
While I was going to the temple one of these days, I saw a lady push a stroller, in which she had comfortably tucked her child in. She had wrapped it an expensive and soft blanket and ensured she had put a cap around the kiddo’s head. Yes the kid looked all dressed like a doll. They happily walked, a content and proud mother with a cute kid. Two foot steps behind her, a small girl shabbily dressed in what looked like the ladies old chudidhar (not torn but looked like it would anytime), hair unkempt and dirty, walked slowly tracing the footsteps of the lady. She carried a bag too large for her size and was innocently gaping at all the people around her. It was a hard scene for me to see. The little girl was definitely hired to take care of the kid that was tucked away in the pram and help the lady with the households. Firstly it’s wrong to hire a child, and after having done so, forget treating the girl with love, cant she at least get that little girl a decent dress? Can’t she comb the little one’s hair? If it were her child, would she allow her kid to do her hair on her own, take care of all her needs? Then why this indifference?
How can anybody hire a little girl as a household help?? I simply can’t understand this fact? If anybody has such ideas, please shun it immediately. If you find it so difficult to manage your home and your kid at the age of 25, 30, or whatever age you are, the kid is definitely not going to find it easy. Remember yourself at her age. Please learn to love other kids as if they were your own.
Please, it’s a humble request from a nobody, who cares for all those innocent kids who have to work when they are only ripe enough to play. Don’t employ them, give them love, give them toys, books and try to give them a future.
I saw this quote and felt it should be shared.
"Children are like flowers, they bruise easily. Stop cruelty to children."
Yes it is really sad that, in spite of our child labour laws, children are still employed. To me, all those people who complain about corruption etc. do they even think about the wrongs they do out there, like employing children, throwing garbage anywhere they like, allowing their children to flout school rules.... We are all part of the corruption.
ReplyDeleteI cant agree more with you HGM. Like how Mother Teresa said "Charity begins at your home", I think its true for corruption and politics too.
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