& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Let their lives be our passion

Martin Adhikary
AROUND 40 thousand children in the world die of hunger, malnutrition and diseases caused thereby every twenty-four hours. On average, about 40% children in the world live in absolute poverty now. Lives of millions of children are at risk. These children are one-third of the total population of the world.
These statistics are staggering even in the developing nations, where almost half of the population are children. Another one billion children may be born in the next decade, many into extreme poverty situation. The sage in the Bible says: "Children are the greatest gifts and rewards to parents," with corresponding sacred trust and responsibility to bring them up as complete persons. But many of us prove to be pathetic failures in this vitally important area in our individual and corporate lives.
The primary need of children is security, a safe place for overall growth — physical, mental and cultural — through relationship and exploration of the world around him or her. Nothing will work if the child does not feel that his or her life is secure. The other need is for them to feel significant in our eyes, in our thoughts. They need to be assured that they are someone precious because of who they are. A child needs to be assured that there are some people around him/her whom he/she can trust.
Children's problems include insecurity, hunger, illness, lack of clothes and shelter, abuse, exploitation, lack of education and exasperation or irritation. Children cry for dignity. God creates children with dignity. They need to grow to full manhood in wisdom and stature, and with God. Children are our greatest resource, for both the present and the future.
We need to concentrate on our work for them as they are crucial for national development. According to Unicef, child health and education are the most significant interventions that can be made to develop nation. Many people are not worthy parents, as they do not provide just the basic minimum care for their children. It is a too easy to beget children, but it is not easy to parent them.
While children suffer from lack of wealth and care it has now become an established fact that children in affluent societies suffer from the bad impacts of too much wealth. It is not said that children in the West have "everything to live with but nothing to live for" without meaning.
Children in many affluent societies show signs of not having the right direction in life and, as such, become cynical about life and the world. Millions are suffering from lack of proper parental care. Many feel confused and bewildered with what they see and experience in the post-modern way oflife.
Child labour is a curse that we, as a nation, are putting up with. The following categories of child labour can be identified for possible abolition: Firstly, labour that is hazardous for holistic development, i.e. physical, mental, spiritual and moral well-being of the child.
Secondly, labour that is performed by a child who is under the minimum age specified for that kind of work impedes the child's education, skill and growth.
Lastly, the most heinous kind of labour — childtrafficking, slavery (including camel jockeying), forced labour of various kinds, fighting in battle fields, sex trade, pornography, etc. There are also others who must not be forgotten — the huge number of young boys and girls that are used (mostly abused!) as domestic servants.
Bangladesh has ratified UN and ILO Conventions/Charters — the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour (No. 182), ILO Minimum Age Convention (No. 15), ILO Minimum Age Convention, Revised (No. 59), ILO Labour Convention (No. 29), ILO Night Work of Young Persons Convention (No. 90), ILO Abolition of Forced Labour Convention No. 105). However, our country has always been good at signing international protocols and charters.
How much is done at home to get those lofty ideals and documents implemented? The child labour problem is a hydra-headed problem. In a poor and developing country like ours we cannot solve it easily. It is linked up with our overall socio-economic conditions.
All out efforts must continue with political will, integrity on the part of the general public, the civil society, family, government, religious institutions, etc. Above all, nothing works if there is no love for people, a deep sense of justice, peace and integrity at every level.
Reverend Martin Adhikary is a social worker and a free-lance contributor to The Daily Star.