Let them enjoy their rights
The Right to Education:50% of Indian children aged 6-18 do not go to school Dropout rates increase alarmingly in class III to V.
The Right to Expression:Every child has a right to express himself freely in whichever way he likes. Majority of children however are exploited by their elders and not allowed to express.
The Right to Information:Every child has a right to know his basic rights and his position in the society. High incidence of illiteracy and ignorance among the deprived and underprivileged children prevents them from having access to information about them and their society.
The Right to Nutrition:More than 50% of India's children are malnourished. While one in every five adolescent boys is malnourished, one in every two girls in India is undernourished.
The Right to Health & Care:58% of India's children below the age of 2 years are not fully vaccinated. And 24% of these children do not receive any form of vaccination. Over 60% of children in India are anemic. 95 in every 1000 children born in India do not see their fifth birthday. 70 in every 1000 children born in India do not see their first birthday.
The Right to Protection from Abuse:There are approximately 2 million child commercial sex workers between the age of 5 and 15 years and about 3.3 million between 15 and 18 years. They form 40% of the total population of commercial sex workers in India. 500,000 children are forced into this trade every year.
The Right to Protection from Exploitation:17 million children in India work as per official estimates. A study found that children were sent to work by compulsion and not by choice, mostly by parents, but with recruiter playing a crucial role in influencing decision. When working outside the family, children put in an average of 21 hours of labour per week. Poor and bonded families often "sell" their children to contractors who promise lucrative jobs in the cities and the children end up being employed in brothels, hotels and domestic work. Many run away and find a life on the streets.
The Right to Protection from Neglect:Every child has a right to lead a well protected and secure life away from neglect.
By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the Convention, national governments have committed themselves to protecting and ensuring children's rights and they have agreed to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community.
India has made some significant commitments towards ensuring the basic rights of children. There has been progress in overall indicators: infant mortality rates are down, child survival is up, literacy rates have improved and school dropout rates have fallen. But the issue of child rights in India is still caught between legal and policy commitments to children on the one hand, and the fallout of the process of globalisation on the other.