The trampled flower

The child did not even scream, since it was too embarrassed to do so. It was confused whether it was right or wrong. It just lay there without any emotions. This story is a part of many of our childhoods. And it is a crime not punished enough, even though it is global phenomenon — regardless of poor, high-society or slums, caste, colour, creed and gender. The perpetrator is mostly known to the child, or it is lured and kidnapped by them and sometimes even murdered later. If the child goes through it, it is a permanent scar, physically and emotionally. If the child is too small to comprehend what is happening, it might take it to be normal behavior, or associate it with cuddling. When it grows a little older, it does not like it, but does not know how to complain about it, and any complaint is mostly dismissed even by the parents, leaving the child with a stigma, and they grow up with complexes.
Now that there is so much awareness on this issue, all adults should look for any tell-tale signs or language. They should properly investigate and not just brush it aside or make the child feel guilty. Give the child a lot of love, understanding and support. Join hands with organizations that deal with this kind of work and volunteer with them to do all you can. People like Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi have taken up the cause of exploited children worldwide, and his very famous words are that the childhood of no child should be snatched from him or her.

Kailash Satyarthi

Satyarthi, speaking at the Times LitFest Delhi on November 26, demanded, firstly, setting up of special courts in every district for crimes against children; secondly, a National Children’s Tribunal, like the NGT; and thirdly, more spending on the health and protection of children. If you’d like to volunteer with his organization or find out what they do, visit https://www.bba.org.in/.