By Dr. J. Das
Children, the future of society, often have a difficult life. Sometimes they run away from home because of domestic problems. Parents may be drug addicts, alcoholics or abusive. These children become “street kids” and lured by pimps into prostitution, and by drug dealers into the drug trade and addiction. Adults will use children in the sex trade by maintaining brothels, and the children do not have any means of escaping until the law enforcement agencies catch up with them. These children are lured into pornography to satisfy the prurient desires of certain adults. Pornography is also now widespread on the Internet, and parents have difficulty controlling their children’s access to them. A while ago the news reported that a lady allowed her boyfriend to rape her seven-year-old daughter, so that she could get a bottle of alcohol. More recently a U.S. lawyer brought her teenage daughter to Canada for sex purposes.
Many children smoke and use alcohol and become addicted. These children grow up to become adults and assume the role of parents. Their family, however, suffer because of their addictions.
Youth violence and bullying are frequent. Many young people get into gang fights, sometimes resulting in murder. These are often over drugs, or over a boyfriend/girlfriend, or some other perceived ill. Many youth break and enter to steal in order to support their drug habits, or for “kicks”. Similarly, they steal cars for joy riding. The same can be said of vandalism in schools and public places, and society has to pay the cost. Several children have committed suicide because of bullying.
Sometimes parents perpetrate violence against their own children. A few years ago a woman in the US drowned her two young boys by running her car into the lake. A man in Canada was arrested for drowning his two young children by holding their heads down in the lake until they died. He did this in order to win back the affection of his girl friend. Some parents practice a more passive type of violence by neglecting their children, or being verbally abusive and critical, thus robbing the children of self esteem, and producing in them a sense of guilt. These are difficult to remove, even during adulthood. Similarly, the entertainment industry is replete with violence and criminal activities. Children see these and practically accept them as a normal part of life. Until there is a backlash from a concerned society, the entertainment industry is not likely to change.
There are many more types of suffering which children endure throughout the world. Some children are sold into slavery, or into marriage to older and wealthy males. This occurs in some eastern countries, notably India. In China and India girl children are sometimes put to death because of the desire to have a male child. Children are often made to work under slavish conditions in various factories to produce goods for overseas markets. These children have no future and work for minimum wages, and in appalling conditions.
After considering the above types of suffering among children, it is difficult to maintain self-composure without feeling a deep sorrow in the heart. Children are said to be the future of our society, yet they are not adequately prepared through love and caring to fulfill that role. Are there possible solutions to these problems? We need to have more parental responsibility to show love to our children, and to build their self-esteem. Abused children often become abusive parents and this creates a vicious cycle. There has to be a starting point where parents begin to take stock of themselves, and see what is the greater good for their children, family and society. Parents need to be aware of their children’s whereabouts and in what activities they engage. There has to be an open and friendly communication between parents and children. Parents need to instill the proper values of life into children.
What does religion have to offer to children? More and more children, and even adults, see religion as being empty, not meaningful in modern life, and upholding doctrines and dogmas that are anachronistic to the modern age. Social responsibility is also important. Society becomes apathetic to all the ills that are going on among the young people. Teachers do not have the power to discipline the children, for fear of being sued. Social agencies or child welfare agencies will often apprehend a child if the child makes a complaint against the parents. This does not really solve any problem and, in the long run, creates new problems.
There is no universally accepted, unified, process of dealing with these problems. The international year of the child has not been able to accomplish anything. As far as I can see, the solution lies with every individual accepting mature, responsible ways of behavior and living, and instilling these values in their children. Other people such as significant adults, teachers, the police, priests and the law makers must all work in harmony with a common goal in mind, using common standards of value, and work cooperatively to improve the lot of children throughout the world. Perhaps we can then look forward to a better future for the world’s children!
Dr. J. Das is a Surrey-based writer.
