‘Every Child Counts’: Gift Children Their Childhood

UNICEF’s The State of the World’s Children 2014 in Numbers (Pic: Unicef)

Every day when I read news, there is one question that keeps haunting me. What kind of world are we making for our children to live and believe in? Do these sweet, cherubic, defenceless, fragile creations of God deserve us and our society?

A strong wave of nausea washes over me every time I read the gory and heartless ways children are being treated everywhere, all over the world. The World is celebrating 2.2 billion (Unicef Report ‘Every Child Counts’ The State of the World’s Children 2014 In Numbers ) children on earth at the moment and the number is growing every second.

Out of 2.2 billion children

• 1 out of 5 children in Sierra Leone are going to die before they see their fifth birthday.
• In Somalia, 49% children of age group 4 to 14 years are serving as child labourers.
• Eleven per cent of girls are married before they turn 15, jeopardizing their rights to health, education and protection.

And if these statistics from UNICEF are something, they point out how badly and irresponsibly 5 billion adults are shouldering their responsibilities towards these kids.

How can a father forget his 22 month-old-toddler in a hot car locked up to die? It’s downright bizarre!

Why did a father took his toddler son so near to the edge at Victoria Fall’s Devil’s Pool that he slipped from his hands straight into 1000 feet waterfall?

Who gave a woman right to be a mother who kept her 6 year-old-daughter locked up in a broken house in unhygienic unclothed condition for 3 years?

Where are the 200 and more Nigerian girls abducted by Boko Haram?

These incidents and more such, bring not only tears to eyes, they are constant reminders of a harsh, heartless, forgetful world where children are being mistreated, raped, starved and killed by their own families and strangers for their selfish means and reasons. These sick adults who forget that they were once children and lucky to have had a sheltered, protected life, or maybe they were not. How do we ensure the safety of billions of children, being forced to put their whole trust and faith in this ruthless cruel grown-ups’ world? What kind of examples are we setting? We must search for the answer within.

We need to unite as one and protect children fiercely irrespective of whom they belong to and where they reside.

We imagine Western countries are better than the East. We feel the West is more modern, more receptive to women and kids and their rights and independence. Then why every alternate week there is an adult going on a killing spree on schools?

In East as well where parents keep pointing out how carefully they are bringing up their children and strongly teach the, the value of cultural heritage the story isn’t much different. Children are molested by family members, sold to beggars and orphanages for money, aborted for their unwanted gender, married before they are teenagers for money or just plain riddance, sold to pimps for child porn and sex trades. The atrocities against children by their own family members are endless.

We can’t and should not expect a cruel society to be a benefactor to our own kids when parents themselves are touching the new lows of parenthood. Where fathers turn into rapists and mothers turn into pimps of their own children. Where money and drugs are more important than well-being of their flesh and blood.

We are preparing a hellhole for our children to grow and live in, the innocent souls who rely on us to believe in fairies and Santa Claus. No matter how carefully and how lovingly you bring up your own children there would always be predators in society who will pounce and rip your heartbeats apart in one instant. Why should we all live and bring up our children in such a constant fear and insecurity?

This sick mentality has to go. There has to be a global protection plan in place. We adults, the conscience holders, the believers in goodness of humanity must take it in our hands to not to let any sick mind prey on anyone’s child in front of our eyes. Someone else’s child could be your child. Someone else’s monster could be your monster. We need to unite as one and protect children fiercely irrespective of whom they belong to and where they reside. Only then the circle of Karma would be complete and we would be able to gift our children the bliss of a safe and secure childhood among family and strangers.

(Pic: morguefile)

‘Every Child Counts’: Gift Children Their Childhood – An opinion by @Shakunnarang http://t.co/bDlb37bVl4

— Learning&Creativity (@LearnNCreate) June 23, 2014

About the Author

Shakun Narang ( 18 Posts)

Shakun Narang is passionate about people, dancing, music, kids and their safety rights, traveling and city exploring. She is a perpetual dreamer and dream-chaser, a friend for life and companion for all conversations and part time Agony Aunt. A moviebuff and bookworm herself she is actively working on her Facebook communities Moviemaniacs and Bookoholics to be that happy place where people bursting with views and reviews around movies and books can meet and mingle with like minded people.
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