Today, 14th November 2013, will be celebrated as Children’s Day in India as usual for the last many decades. It is the day for the Children as also a memory of the Birth Day of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ( 14th November 1889), Freedom Fighter and the first Prime Minister of India.
Functions will be organised in the schools, focussing the children and their problems. Government and voluntary agencies also organise many functions in this connection. The importance of helping the children to get healthy food, good education etc. are focussed.
It is not only in India that the Children’s Day is celebrated. Almost all the countries in the world celebrate it on one or the other days, according to their decision. 20th November is observed as Universal Children’s Day in many countries as per the United Nations recommendations, proclaimed by the World conference for Well being of Children held in 1925 and established from 1954. In some countries it is observed in June as per the decision of the Women’s Democratic Federation Congress held in Moscow in 1949.
Declaration of Rights of the Child was adopted on 20th November 1959 by UN.
All this show the importance given to the Children by the International bodies and countries. To a certain extent, in the developed European countries, these are being implemented. The safety and health of the children are given top priority.
But what about the developing nations like India. The situation is very gloomy. Despite pious announcements, decisions and declarations, the condition of the children in the country is dismal.
Though the child death rate has decreased, still crores of children die in India even before they reach one year. There is no health care or treatment available for them not only in the tribal areas, but in many parts of the country. Even sufficient food are not available and malnutrition is usual which retards growth of the children.
A good percentage of children in India have no access to education, due to non-availability of schools in the interior area and also poverty of the families. Young children are forced in to hard work to mete out a living. Crores of children are employed in hotels, small scale factories, agriculture, domestic work and even in very risky jobs. Rules are there against child-labour, but it is more violated than implemented. In any town/city, you can see a large number of begging children, some of them exploited and terrorised by the mafias.
The cruel exploitation of the children and molestation is another dark chapter. Children are sexually assaulted in even homes and schools, leave alone in unsafe areas. People in high society are also involved. Due to poverty, sometimes, children are even sold by the parents.

Children are expected to get good food, parents care, good education, health care and grow to be the healthy and educated citizens of the nation. But these are denied to most of the children in the country. Except a small percentage, the future of the children in the country is grim. Of course, there has been improvement, but that is far below than required.

The present neo-liberal policy of the government, which will only benefit the corporates, the rich and the well to do, will only result in more miseries for the poor and children.

The nation requires a well grounded and progressive policy for the welfare and growth of the children. A massive campaign and action programme by the people are required to make the rulers act accordingly.

Let each of us do whatever possible to improve the condition of the children in our country.