The importance of a well-rounded childhood in a person is enormous and the memories of a happy childhood remain embossed till the very last moment of life. In India the scenario is far from encouraging and the children who are our hopes and aspirations, are the most vulnerable sections of our society. The crimes against our littles range from physical abuses to trafficking and what not! The phenomenon is not different from other any third world country. We have to live down this harsh fact the a majority of our children are denied the simple pleasures of a happy childhood which goes a long way in shaping up his moral personality. It prepares him or her for the challenges in the later part of life.
What is very alarming is the fact that violation of child rights is not confined to the homes of the poor. In the urban areas they are subjected to unfairness of another. If we find malnourished and illiterate ones in the marginal areas of villages and nondescript hamlets we are sure to encounter well-fed but glum faces of the kids who are groaning under the sheer weight of the school bags! They are the victims of parental overambition! They carry their silent protests in their grim visages. What their parents could not achieve in their lifetime they are the unfortunate media to fulfill that unrealized ambitions. They are exposed to the ruthless world of competition when they should be in the playgrounds or playhouses to derive the innocent pleasures of life.
On the top of it with the proliferation of nuclear families they are denied the pleasure of serene company of grand dads and moms. In the earlier times the role of the grand dads and moms proved invaluable as they acted as the friend, philosopher and guide. Now parents are a sight dreaded by many children and they turn to TVs channels to spend their childhood days. As a result the psychiatric and psychological cases among the children are alarmingly on the rise. It is indeed a very distressing state of affairs.
The female foeticides are too another form of heinous crimes which are committed with impunity. It is a crime committed even before the child is born! What should extremely disturb one is the statistical profile of the states which are most notorious in this dark practice. Punjab and Haryana the relatively affluent states of the country actively carry on this medieval and brutal practice. There are a number of clinics which have sprung up in different parts of these states which operate clandestinely and in some cases without license. The corrupt doctors aid and abet in this scandalous practice.