As citizens, we all must protect the vulnerable children around us who have been victims of abuse, violence and neglect, writes Aprajita
Last month, Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, during his key note address as the chief guest on the occasion of 93rd Foundation Day of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at Nagpur called upon the swayamsevaks (volunteers) to serve as firewall to protect the children of our country. It is imperative to understand this Firewall concept. The RSS has over 55,000 shakhas (branches) spread across the length and breadth of the country. These shakhas are present even in the remotest villages. If the swayamsevaks stand up for the cause of protection the most vulnerable and marginalised children of our country, and proactively work towards the sensitisation of parents of children-at-risk against human trafficking, particularly explaining them the modus operandi of the traffickers and violence that children are subjected to, the social change that will take place is enormous.
Further, if the RSS swayamsevaks become the eyes and ears of our law enforcement agencies, intervention against trafficking will become much easier and effective. This is what Satyarthi meant by swayamsevaks becoming the Firewall for the children. Given the kind of reach and expanse that the RSS enjoys across the country, and considering the fact that under the umbrella of the RSS also come organisations like the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (largest trade union of the world) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) (prominent student union), the role it can play in mobilising the youth of the nation for the benefit of the children, besides defending values, like freedom of association, right to collective bargaining and decent working conditions for adults, is too significant to be ignored.
Needless to mention that if adults are employed and children are at school getting access to meaningful, quality and equitable education, prospects for the nation’s growth multiply manifold. It’s a travesty of sorts that even 71 years after Independence, eight children go missing every hour, four are sexually abused and two raped in the country. Most missing children are trafficked for forced labour, sexual exploitation, prostitution, forced begging, illegal organ transplantation, child marriages, surrogacy and are subjected to unabated and unimaginable violence. Trafficking is the third largest illicit business in the world after drugs and illegal arms.
Child welfare should be a subject of common interest to each and every citizen, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, ideology, socio-economic status, political inclination and faith. A few months ago, we read how a spirited and responsible citizen of our country upon seeing 26 visibly scared and distressed minor girls being transported in Muzaffarpur-Bandra Avadh Express alerted the Railway Police over a Tweet. This act of presence of mind led to the rescue of the girls. In this case, the person served as a protective shield or Firewall for those girls. Children can be found working in subhuman conditions in the lower tiers of the supply chain, spanning across the informal economy in the developing nations. Some businesses in order to keep their production costs at minimum, compromise upon human rights in their supply chains. By boycotting cheap products, we can dissuade and disparage this race to the bottom thereby compelling the companies to ensure that there are no human right violations in their supply chains. This is also one of the ways consumers can exercise their power and serve as a firewall for children. As alert citizens, we should reach out to the police and child helpline whenever we see a child in distress.
We must discourage our friends and relatives from employing children in their factories and households and awaken their conscience by guiding them to handover the children to the law enforcement agencies so that they are repatriated and reintegrated into mainstream society. This is again equivalent to offering a Firewall protection to the children and saving them from exploitation. It has been proven that in most cases, children are raped and sexually abused by someone known to them. It is important that all of us become Firewalls for our children at home and outside to ensure that they find physically and emotionally safe space to dwell. Rights and responsibilities are two sides of the same coin. The way we assert our rights, we must not abrogate our responsibilities towards the children around us. The way we care for the rights of our children, we must also stand up for the rights of other children, particularly those who for some reason, have been alienated from their parents or legal guardians. We must protect their innocence so that they grow up to become healthy, educated, productive and responsible citizens augmenting the human capital of our country. Becoming a Firewall for the children is actually the need of the hour for every citizen. The future of our country will only be as promising as the way we treat our children now.
(The writer is a child rights activist)
