Who is responsible for the children of road?

So often we come across children selling flowers, pens, toys at red lights. We also see children cleaning cars at red lights. I fail to understand how this is happening right in front of eyes of the government.  This is everyday sight in the national capital region, makes me wonder about situation in remote areas. There are so many laws made about child labor and raids are conducted at homes, factories to save children from working. But still the menace persists. The root cause is that we blame the employers for employing child labor. Why are the parents of children left free? They are the biggest culprits in this whole mess. After all people should be made to realize the responsibility that parenthood brings with it.

Our country is the strange land there is so much emphasis on having children. Almost immediately after marriage couples are bombarded with questions about “Good News”. But no one bombards the parents about the upbringing. It is assumed that parents make the best decisions for their children even if children’s childhood is ruined. Parents should be made liable for their child’s future safety.

A man living in a shanty next to highway has had 4 children in last six years. All of them came into this world in the same shanty. None of the kids go to school. What are these parents thinking? What kind of life will they provide to their children? In my opinion they are committing a crime against humanity. The kids sit in dirt all day, they are suffering from malnutrition, they will never have access to any kind of education, their life is in danger all the time as they sit next to highway all day and now the eldest one who is not even a teenager has started working with his dad.  They say children are God’s greatest gift. Is this how you treat the greatest gift of God? By denying the child a healthy childhood one is denying them a healthy future.

Many developed countries have rules where they fix the responsibility of parents. Neighborhoods, schools, and hospitals play very important role in making sure that children are not harmed. Seems like in our country children have no rights and no one wants to fix this issue. I urge government of India to criminalize such negligent attitude of parents.