Child has rights too

Child Rights are fundamental and inherent of all below the age of 18. These rights apply to every child, irrespective of his/her origin, race, color, sex or creed. The essential message that we are preaching is equality of opportunity. Girls should be given the same opportunities as boys. All children should have the same rights and should be given the same opportunity to enjoy an adequate standard of living. Child rights maybe broadly classified as the rights of all children to: survival, development, protection and participation.

Child rights are important to be upheld due to the fact that children are innocent, trustworthy and full of hope. Their childhood should be joyful and loving. Their lives should mature gradually as they gain new experiences. But for many children, the reality of childhood is altogether different.

Through history, rights of children have been abused and exploited. They suffer from hunger and homelessness; work under harmful and dangerous conditions, suffer high mortality rate, lack basic healthcare and limited opportunities for basic education. Childhood can and must be preserved. Children have the right to survive, develop, and be protected and to participate in decisions that impact their lives. These should be the basic rights of all children across the world as defined in the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child-an international human rights treaty to which 191 countries are signatories.

The charter of Child Rights is built on the principle that "ALL children are born with fundamental freedoms and ALL human beings have some inherent rights." A case study to show that the reality of childhood is altogether different is those used by destitute parents to aid them in earning their daily living as beggars.

The million dollar question that begs for a reasonable and tangible answer on this issue is what does the future hold for these children who are left to languish, perish as a result of exposure to all sorts of criminal and harmful street lives. They are supposed to be future leaders but see how pathetic it is that they are not treated as such.

Most or all of these disadvantaged children I spoke to expressed interest in education. The fact however is that their parents cannot afford the expensive education system in the country, hence have no alternative but to follow them in the degrading act of begging.

An old blind man intimated that it is not his wish to use his only child in begging, but he was left with no option other than what they are presently engaged in as he could not afford sending his child to school.

It is our strong conviction that if only securing or working towards a better future for this our beloved nation is something to achieve, these are some of the issues that need to be addressed with all the seriousness and urgency attached. These children are not meant to be in the streets; their rights as children need to be preserved.