Friday, 03 November 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Lack of awareness about contraception is resulting in spike in child labour, child begging and criminal activities involving children and perpetrated against children. Experts point out that some people have limited or no knowledge about family planning methods and this contributes principally to the prevalence of child labour, child trafficking and child begging in the State. The importance of creating contraception awareness among the people, particularly the educationally backward sections, can hardly be exaggerated, they said and added that this awareness might help mitigate crimes against children.
Talking to The Pioneer on this matter, the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) member Vinod Kaparwan said that the recent case involving mistreatment of students at a madrasa in the State had brought to the fore the fact that the parents with many children care a little for their wellbeing. “The unscrupulous elements in the society take advantage of this parental apathy and subject such hapless children to exploitation,” he said.
He further said, “The parents having numerous children are found in the slums, in particular. They lack education themselves and in most cases, they ignore the importance of their children receiving education. The children, left to fend for themselves, become inclined towards crimes or begging. This is why the people must be made aware of the importance of the use of contraception as an effective means of family planning. Further, the government should step in with strict laws to control population explosion by fixing the number of children to be born in a single family.”
While talking to this correspondent, the Uttarakhand State Commission for Women Commission (USCW) chairperson Kusum Kandwal said that the State has been witnessing an alarming rise in the number of child labor and other crimes perpetrated against children. “This can be ascribed to the lack of awareness about contraception among the educationally unprivileged sections of the society. Neglected by their parents due to the high number of siblings, these children often fall prey to substance abuse, criminal activities and sexual abuse. To combat such cases, it is imperative to promote awareness about contraception among the people. USCW on its part will also visit slum areas across the State to educate women about contraception and its importance for the welfare of the families and children,” she added.
Speaking on this matter, the State coordinator of Bachpan Bachao Andolan Suresh Uniyal said that the primary responsibility for the wellbeing of the children rests with their parents. “In order to effectively address and prevent crimes involving children and against children, it is important to educate women about the significance of family planning. Specifically, women must be helped to understand the adverse impacts of multiple pregnancies on their body systems. Apart from this, it is the duty of the health department to proactively disseminate information about contraception, particularly in slum areas across the State,” he said.
