Children of lesser God

It has become a common scene in Delhi these days.

When your car stops at the red light signal, a group of children, young boys and girls in their early teens rush to the vehicle with a handful of books, magazine and peep through your window pan with a sheer appeal in their face and eyes. They somehow try to get their products sold by you.

I had the similar experience while traveling by an auto on 25^th Dec. But the difference is, the mobile street vendors, this time were not even five years old. That means they can be still targeted for the pulse polio drive.

The boy and girl were shivering in the cold wave. With barely anything on them, they were running around between the automobiles to sell some ‘made in China’ products. I purchased one such thing from the girl. When the boy discovered me to take the item from the girl, he put his torso inside the auto to cling my feet and cried profusely to take at least one of his products.

It is not a novel thing in Delhi. Small children are being constantly put on into this kind of smart business in the busy streets of Delhi.

Who are the people behind this act? They do not bother to push the hungry, shelter less and parentless children into a risky and inhuman business without caring damn of its implications.

We are supposed to have some acts in our legal system in the name of ‘Child Labor Protection Act’. We also have our ‘Human Rights Commission’ strongly positioned. There are long list of NGOs and voluntary organizations being constantly vigil to detect the slightest violation of human rights. But there is nobody to protect these poor children in the streets of the capital.

Sometimes, I feel we are not residing in a civilized society.

How can we say this society civilized where children are continuously getting deprived of their basic rights and undergoing treatments that simply stain humanity?

Sugata Mukhopadhyay
Universal Health