ID :
33587
Tue, 12/02/2008 - 18:18
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/33587
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Dismal condition of children in Assam
Guwahati, Dec 2 (PTI) In a shocking revelation, statistics show that an average of 175 children below five years of age are dying everyday in the eastern Indian state of Assam.
The statistics indicate that the condition of children in
the state is dismal as over 40 percent children below three
years are underweight whereas 76.7 percent of the children
are anaemic.
The 2001 census also revealed that 5.4 percent children
between five and 14 years of age were child labourers.
According to 2002-04 district level household survey,
around 53.4 percent of girls got married before the age of 18
years.
The Constitution of India defines anybody below 18 years
as a child and entitles them to certain child rights but the
children in the state are unaware of the rights guaranteed to
them like the Right to Survive or Right to Live in a Hygienic
Condition.
Even if they become aware of their rights, they have
seldom anything to do as they have already been sucked into
the grindmill, UNICEF's Assam representative Jero Master said.
With the fourth highest infant mortality rate of 66 per
1,000 live births in the country, Assam accounts for death of
175 children below five years of age and 132 infants every
day, he points out.
Street children commonly involved in petty theft were now
selling illegal drugs such as marijuana and ganja because of
poverty. Several cases of drug peddling by street children
have been registered in the state's Juvenile Justice board.
According to Father Lucas, a member of the Juvenile Board
who runs a prominent destitute home for street children,
poverty drove the children to resort to illegal activities and
theft to earn 'easy money'.
With their basic needs remaining unfulfilled, the
children were easy victims of temptation for food and toys
and therefore resort to petty crimes to acquire them, Father
Lucas pointed out.
These children were even forced to go out of their homes
to earn a livelihood by their parents, he said, adding there
were instances of children being compelled to earn even if it
involved illegal means.
The runaway children, who hung around train stations and
bus stands, also fall prey to unscrupulous persons who use
them for selling illegal substances, begging or
pick-pocketing. PTI
The statistics indicate that the condition of children in
the state is dismal as over 40 percent children below three
years are underweight whereas 76.7 percent of the children
are anaemic.
The 2001 census also revealed that 5.4 percent children
between five and 14 years of age were child labourers.
According to 2002-04 district level household survey,
around 53.4 percent of girls got married before the age of 18
years.
The Constitution of India defines anybody below 18 years
as a child and entitles them to certain child rights but the
children in the state are unaware of the rights guaranteed to
them like the Right to Survive or Right to Live in a Hygienic
Condition.
Even if they become aware of their rights, they have
seldom anything to do as they have already been sucked into
the grindmill, UNICEF's Assam representative Jero Master said.
With the fourth highest infant mortality rate of 66 per
1,000 live births in the country, Assam accounts for death of
175 children below five years of age and 132 infants every
day, he points out.
Street children commonly involved in petty theft were now
selling illegal drugs such as marijuana and ganja because of
poverty. Several cases of drug peddling by street children
have been registered in the state's Juvenile Justice board.
According to Father Lucas, a member of the Juvenile Board
who runs a prominent destitute home for street children,
poverty drove the children to resort to illegal activities and
theft to earn 'easy money'.
With their basic needs remaining unfulfilled, the
children were easy victims of temptation for food and toys
and therefore resort to petty crimes to acquire them, Father
Lucas pointed out.
These children were even forced to go out of their homes
to earn a livelihood by their parents, he said, adding there
were instances of children being compelled to earn even if it
involved illegal means.
The runaway children, who hung around train stations and
bus stands, also fall prey to unscrupulous persons who use
them for selling illegal substances, begging or
pick-pocketing. PTI
