Before talking about child rights allow me to introduce to you my little brother who has just turned 10 on last month. He is a wonderful kid and is very different from me. He never argues, never disobeys mom, doesn’t waste time on the computer and almost always stays ahead of the class.
His exams are scheduled to start on 12th November. Because of the exams the amount of pressure he is in has really caught my attention. I don’t know about others but I know that this is the outcome of the faulty educational system of ours. A kid of his age (he is in third grade) shouldn’t be under pressure this much. He hasn’t gone out to play for many weeks now. And I’m sorry to say that this is not only happening in his case, all his friends and classmates are going through this same kind of situation. Kids of his age should be able to live a care-free life, they should be able to play, have fun and watch Tricky TV on nick instead of thinking just about their studies.
But still, these are the fortunate kids who can afford to have the luxury of education. But what about the millions of kids worldwide who have literally nothing. Every child has some fundamental rights besides food, safe water, education and medical treatment. They have the right of living without any kind of threat or fear. They have the right of proper mental growth and support. And most importantly they have the right of having a mother and father- a loving family. But it’s a matter of sorrow that we fail to give them what they deserve.
Here are some facts. In many places parents sell their babies (even early teens) for a certain period of time. Children of poverty stricken families of Niger, Mauritania, Chad and Mali have to undergo this kind of situation. I wonder how the kid feels like- living away from its parents! Millions of kids in Bangladesh and India have to work really hard to get a little meal. Many have to work in factories and do hard physical labor to avail them the next meal. Some sell flowers during traffic jams to survive. Due to poverty and other social and political reasons many kids end up fighting others wars. Currently there are 200,000-300,000 child soldiers (under the age of 18) world-wide according to ILO.
No, this is not the way a kid should be treated. And it is our responsibility to make sure that they have a better present and a brighter future.
I am just another guy and this is how I see and feel things. I’m sure you have a better take on this matter. Please share your wisdom and let’s connect.
Let's try.
Peace
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Great post.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same as you do.
Another great post! It is really painful to see those pictures! Thanks for forcing my mind to think about them!
ReplyDeleteIrtiza, you have touched upon a subject that is very near and dear to my heart--and that is that all children deserve (and should receive) a good education--and equal education that will allow them the same opportunities of any other child. The class system, which exists in nearly every country still seperates the 'haves' from the 'have nots' and no one is affected more by this inequity than children poverty stricken--or even lower income areas.
ReplyDeleteThank you for highlighting the importance of this issue.
Melinda
ren, etw, melinda, thank you for your comments and you are welcome. my best wishes are with you...
ReplyDeletepeace
What an important topic . . . and a sad one too. Not only the larger topic, but with your brother too. I completely agree with you, that that is too young to be under that sort of pressure. Education has become so competitive, that people push learners younger and younger to get "ahead" of others. Kids don't need to learn only school material, but they also need to learn hos to be social, how to be creative, and how to relax and have fun. That age is too important for development to be crammed into books if what you say is true about your brother's and his classmates' situation.
ReplyDeleteAs for the larger topic, it is something really terrible. I wish that I could offer pointers as to what we can do to help, but sadly I don't know what we can do. That doesn't mean we should do nothing, it means that we should push for a solution.
LS, thanks for your comment. i appreciate that you are concerned about my bro and the other kids. yes, we should look for a lasting and effecting solution to this problem.
ReplyDeletepeace
Irtiza
ReplyDeleteIt was a nice post on a sensitive topic.
You menitoned about pressure of education. It is a good observation.
I have been living in both EAST and WEST for last couple of years, so my kids have attended schools of both cultures. One stark contrast that I have observed is that while there is a lot of study related pressure on kids in countires like BD, India etc, the schools at UK,US, France etc are a fun to attend. It is only after around 12 years of age that kids in these countries are exposed to study pressure.
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