Labour Day
But the lament thing is that the Labor laws failed to bring one of the preponderant sections of the labour community from the morass of exploitation to the state of euphoria. This section which is tagged as “Child Labour” is still the preference amongst the labour class.
Child labor is a punishable crime in India and many other countries. Indian Govt. has imposed complete ban on child labor. Article 24 of the Indian Constitution clearly states that “No Child below the age of 14 shall be employed to work in any factory or mines or employed in any hazardous employment. Recently domestic work and hospitality industries are also covered in this Act.
But still there are myriads of children who are working on roadside food stalls, factories, cleaning shops/garage, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, dhabas and as domestic work. Despite a complete ban by the Indian government on the working of children below 14 years of age as domestic servants, the abysmal thing is that still this practice is not being brought to an end.
One of the basic reasons is; such children belong to the families who are facing penury hence they prove to be worthy in generating extra income for their families. They are the first choice of the employer as it’s quite easy to exploit them. These children don’t demand high wages and are ready to perpetually work for long hours and that too without protesting as compared to a skilled worker. Moreover they don’t switch over to other jobs easily. According to a study, about 200,000 child workers are estimated to be working as domestic servants and other activities. It’s not only shocking news but it also represents an abysmal picture of the improper functioning of the Government bodies related to social welfare.
Government has launched several programmes to eradicate Child labor but these programmes render little help. The Child labor (Prohibition & Regulation) ACT 1986 is one such a step in this direction. But these laws are being enforced only on papers and have no impact in the real life; the situation is totally different at ground levels. There are many flaws in these Acts and due to these flaws the employers find a way to escape from the grasp of law. There is provision in Act that, “No child below the age of 14 shall be employed to work.” But what if they are working willingly?
When asked from the domestic employers, the employers repudiate the statement of employing a child for domestic help. They are very well aware of the fact that engaging child labor is a cognizable offense hence hesitates in accepting the fact. They add that when these children are working willingly what can they do? They haven’t forced these children to work.
But on contrary in some cases the parents force their children to work. These children are bereft for their basic right of education by their parents.
Myriads of children spend their midday sweat, their midnight oil; they tire the night in thoughts, their day in toil. What do these children want from us? They want more schoolhouses and less jails; more books and less arsenals; more learning and less vice; more leisure and less greed; more justice and less revenge; in fact, more of the opportunities to cultivate their better natures.
The problem of child labor is broadening equally in all parts of our country. It’s not limited up to urban areas; rural areas are also beneath its hold. The most exploitative form of child labor includes child prostitution. The situation of girl child laborer is far worse in such cases. The agents of these children allure the parents to send their child with them for the sake of money. And after that these children are thrust into Prostitution work. It’s in fact the most shameful act that these unfortunate children have been treated as commodities.
Begging is yet another dark face of child labor. Agent’s picks children form slum areas and force them to work as beggars.
So what is the significance of Labor Day to these deprived child workers? Nothing is the most appropriate answer to this. Government must establish a National Trust to help these poor children financially, as poverty is the root cause of child labor. We also have to cut down the role of illiteracy. Education reduces the chance of being prone to exploitation. Govt. must have to take stern actions against those who rupture these Acts. Govt. is trying to remove child labor on its part. But the help of every individual is awaited. Every citizen must have to work with Government in this direction. Only by entrusting responsibilities to Government doesn’t solve the matter. We too have to understand our onus.
No one can abolish this evil in overnight, single handed. Only the joint efforts by Government and individuals can eradicate this evil, not only from our nation but also from the world.
From each point of view, child labor is not at all justified. It is said that Children are the backbone and the future of nation. If given an opportunity, these child labors too can outshine as Doctors, Engineers and Architects and can serve the nation in a better way. Only our joint & constant effort can eliminate Child labor.
Guns of India
We believe that punishment should be proportional to a crime. Prima facie, police organization who is believed to be the watch dog shakes it’s legs only after the occurrence of the crime. Stringent security measures are followed only on the visits of VIPs and that too for their protection or after the occurrence of an incident which poses threat to the national security. The police organization has breached the public trust because of which people are leading a tensed life with despair of a crime free environment; hence despite of a large police organization that is deployed to prevent the occurrence of crime, more and more people are applying for the license for a legal weapon under arms act for self-defense and the reasons are legitimate enough to be worked on.
On the other hand we can’t refute the occurrence of incidents related to the flouting of arms act where procuring and misusing of licensed weapons is a matter of pride for the people who are affluent or bully by nature. Reports of 'accidental' shooting of revelers by licensed weapons at weddings are amongst the most common ones.
Assassinating the assassin
I am writing nothing new, many of the eminent writers have written and are going to write on the life of the criminals, the aftermaths of crime and the list of the topics are ever ending, many of the readers have culled out such writings in order to win fabulous prizes in various competitions.
A thing may be that I should write on "Living with the assassin". Despite knowing that the husband is an assassin, how is the wife able to cope a normal life and prove to be a homemaker. How are the children of the assassins treated in the world and many such questions now and then striking in our mind?
Are the assassins who show remorse for what they did, treated as normal humans after their retributive sentence by the laws are over?
Like in the case of Nalini Murugan (the “accused no. 1” in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case); in between serving a prison term and fighting a legal battle for an entry permit into India for her daughter, Megara (15), Nalini, a graduate before she was convicted as the ‘back-up human bomb in the event of Dhanu failing in her mission‘, has been pursuing her MCA studies at the special camp for women in the Vellore prison.
Nalini and her husband (Sriharan alias Murugan), are pursuing their Master’s in Computer Applications from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The counselor rated Murugan, as the “most brilliant” student. “Murugan has got very high scores so far. I have not seen such high scores even in the case of students outside,” said Srinivasan the IGNOU Consellor, running his eyes through the marks sheet available on the IGNOU website.
Despite accepting Murugan's and his wife Nalini's excellent intellect and the fact that they both are now MCA, will the world respect them as computer engineers or will the credence of the world still treat them as social stigmas?
We all have a pragmatic vision to seek and see justice done. Throughout history and in many places around the world today, individuals take the need to chastise those who have committed crimes into their own hands. The societies that practice vigilante justice do so because there is no central system to deliver justice for them, or if there is, it is corrupt and worthless. In our society we believe all criminals should have the right to a fair trial before paying for their crimes. We also believe that punishment should be proportional to a crime. For these reasons we collectively entrust the responsibility of sentencing and retribution to our government institutions.
Our society has enabled our government to carry out the task of administering retribution on behalf of its citizens. Why then has the principle of retribution fallen by the wayside in determining appropriate sentences? Sentencing for the sake of retribution has lost all clout, brushed aside as a primitive instinct. In reality, this innate desire to see criminals pay a price for their crimes is central to our humanity. It is a justifiable objective in sentencing. Is it being delivered? A quick glance at our present system tells us it is not.
Specific deterrence is the idea that a sentence will keep the offender in question from re-offending. General deterrence is the idea that tough sentencing will dissuade future law-breakers.
The first and foremost step in retribution system is to rehabilitate the criminals in the society in order to reduce the recidivism present in them to zero.
We mostly hear about the huge number of rehabilitation programs but seldom do we hear about the results these programs produce.
Sympathizing with a criminal in the prison visiting room is like sympathizing with the deadliest beast caged inside its bars at the Zoo. Its safe enough there, but you don’t want to meet either of them in their natural habitat. Molestation in childhood, poverty and discrimination- something twisted in their brains. What kept them from being a normal human being? For them criminality then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
But the decision to change, to do the right thing, ultimately comes from within. A soldier bonded to his peer group would fight valiantly on their behalf when he might have given up if he was alone on the battlefield.
You can reason with a criminal, particularly a professional criminal, who is the ultimate pragmatist. The implicit statement when a criminal is taken at gunpoint is, ‘cease your assaulting behavior or die.’
This does not work for the religiously as opposed to politically motivated terrorist. The religious fanatic who practices terrorism cannot be reasoned with, because there is nothing you can threaten him with, and no alternative you can offer him that is more palatable than his genuine belief that if he dies fighting you, he will be greatly rewarded in afterlife. Only swift and extreme force can stop him.
Plainly we do know what the problem is; the offender's anti-social behavior but we have only the faintest idea of how to correct the problem. The current rehabilitative efforts had no appreciable effect on recidivism.
All the criminals need an identity shift when released again in the society. After conducting further research, studies in several prisons have indicated that recidivism rates have declined where inmates have received an appropriate education helping their social skills, artistic development. This same study provided a critical analysis that showed that; a program’s success or failure is hampered by values and attitudes of those in the authority position, over crowded prison population conditions and inadequate funding for teaching personnel, supplies and materials
As per these studies it is highly apparent that given the right attitude by personnel and a dedicated effort by those in authority, along with points made in this previous study, educational rehabilitation effects on criminal recidivism shows a positive correlations in terms of reduction.
The rehabilitation program should help connect people released from prison and jail to mental health and substance abuse treatment, expand job training and placement services and facilitate transitional housing and case management services.
In conclusion, educational rehabilitation, substance abuse treatment programs and the family all must unite in the previously incarcerated person's life to assist him or her in getting back on or starting the right path. That path is a crime free, employed, and engaged citizen, father and/or leader in the family and community.
Now, I am not saying that all criminals, given the right opportunities and support, will become industrious members of society. But effective rehabilitation programs are surely going to act as a sight for sore eyes for the despairs of all the delinquents.
Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools
The world is divided into two classes: those who believe the incredible, and those who do the improbable. The former is often addressed as an imbecile and the latter who apply themselves wholly and indefatigably to their ambitions are omnipotent and are awarded the epithet of “innovators”.
“Where there is a will there is a way,” is an old and true saying and even if there isn‘t a way either I‘ll find it or make one should be the theme of our will .
The fools keep on talking about impossible because they fear to face the failure. To face success one needs a heart to face the failures. For once the failure is tasted; the fear of facing it goes off. We get the strength to take the risks more easily. We’ll not want to snuggle in our comfort zone anymore-we will be ready to fly. And success is about flying, not snuggling.
Electricity and light bulb were impossibilities. Humans safe passage through the sky was unfeasible. But Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers went and did it anyway. Things are impossible only because we perceive them to be impossible. The world makes a way for a man who knows where he is going.
Now it’s our turn to begin our own dynasty-one that brings us greater fulfillment while simultaneously providing immense value to the world around us.
Injustice with the Name for Fame
Kala Pani- The polluted water bodies
As per a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) action plan the factories cannot dump effluents in the rivers and rivulets but have to send it to a common effluent treatment plant (CETP). But hundreds of industrial units do not treat their wastes as per the inlet parameters of the CETP, and are releasing untreated effluents into the rivers and rivulets. And what say about those areas which are not having any such common effluent treatment plants or about those areas where the effluents and the other hazardous wastes not find any river, rivulet and thus remain accumulated posing serious threats to the life of many residents of that area.
There are myriads of stories like these that go unheard. Invariably, those worst hit by industrial pollution are either rural folk who are unaware of its effects or workers who earn their living from the polluting factories. But more than the polluting industrial units, the blame goes to regulatory agencies — state pollution control boards (SPCBs) and state industrial development corporations — that were created to control and monitor industrialization. Instead, these agencies have been reduced to mere rubber stamps to promote industrialization at a frenzied pace. The industrial system has been reduced to a state wherein it makes better business sense for industrialists to carelessly dump hazardous waste rather than set up mechanisms to deal with it.
Although people are gradually realizing that pollution is leading their lives to predicament, they are not reacting the way they should, considering that their very lives are at stake. The spirit of public good that saw numerous people going to court against polluting industry has been snuffed out after implementing agencies failed to enact the orders of the courts.
Aren’t we behaving like egocentrics, for our self interest we are releasing the poisonous effluents into the natural water bodies and when we realize that these polluted water bodies are posing great threats to our lives, we plan to clean them. Why it’s only the NGOs taking the initiative to clean these polluted water bodies, why not our government and why not each and every individual? When the rules are stringent then why the implementing agencies are being lackadaisical in it’s implementation? Why does the government needs to face the strong revolt by the people to shake their legs?
If each and everyone of us are able to understand our responsibilities then the day is not far when we won’t have to face the industrial turmoil.
Growing Pains of the Youth
Parents usually prefer to discuss only the career oriented issues with the child and rest of his cravings are considered as taboo. The child is always raised with pressures to excel in life. When children are young, parents marvel at their every little accomplishment but later the primal ambition left with the pushy parents is just to see their child topping the class. The grim epithet to the tormented lives of the children is the word ‘failure’. Sometimes the children express an inability to cope with the pressure to excel, frittering the dreams of their parents.
Examination fear, sibling rivalry, issues at school, warring parents, fear of punishment, distressed parents, divorce of parents are some of the prominent reasons roosting among the children which are making them vulnerable towards depression or a new world (without parents).
Recent studies show that children who have been given too much too soon grow up to be adults who have difficulty coping with life’s disappointments. They have a distorted sense of entitlement that hampers the way of success both in the workplace and in relationships. The escalating aspirations where the youth believes in achieving anything and the need of instant gratification makes the youth bully in nature. In such cases the refusals by the parents to accept the browbeating attitude of the child drives him away from them towards the world of destruction.
To safeguard the future of their child and to bridge the gap the parents have to bring a cluster of changes in their own behavior and personalities. The parents should ensure that the state of anguish being brought in the lives of their children by the inchoate emotional forces running rampant in the adolescent mind of the child should not go unheeded in any case or on the pretext of being a subject of taboo. Parents should also ensure that they are least absorbed in their own lives and career and try to spend the maximum time with their child. Being pragmatic the parents should establish a few family rules and should stick to them. If children learn to obey at home, it will be easier for them at school. Punishment for not following the rules should be non-physical. The follow ups of these little but primal elements in life by the parents and the teachers will not let the child get bogged down by anxiety, phobias, academic and socialization plights and can restore a happy life to thousands of youngsters. That can really be termed as a gratifying prospect indeed.
Path to Success
Path to Success
Devendra Lingwal
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