Child abuse has been occurring for years all over the developing countries and in developed nations as well. The child often has no true realization of being abused and the implications, until they gain mental maturity. Perhaps, lack of awareness and open communication within the family, fear of being stigmatized and not being trusted dissuades young victims from speaking up. By creating awareness among parents in order to monitor changes in their child’s behavior is the one of the methods to alleviate this problem. But if the system is reformed, we can ensure that such crimes against children and women are minimized. On the other hand the child laborer has often been understood as cheap labour, which is a vital economic asset to developing industry. But this never justifies the inhuman conditions, which these innocent ones face. Child labourers are totally sidelined by some organizations. Every child has dream of his own which keeps him going through the daily toils. Children below 10 should not be allowed to work at any cost. Time has now come when we need to organize ‘Workshops-cum-training” centres for poor children so that they can earn while learning some skills.
Vinod C. Dixit
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
