Cradles of death

It is an old story. Homes meant for the protection of destitute children have nothing to offer but a fate worse than death, if not death ...

It is an old story. Homes meant for the protection of destitute children have nothing to offer but a fate worse than death, if not death itself. Therefore when a report on Jaipur8217;s Shishu Ghar revealed that most of its young charges, some of them just a few days old, were ailing, few eyebrows were raised. When it became known that this very home reported nine deaths in 20 days recently, again no one was really surprised.

So immune have the authorities and society become to the tragic state of children in this country, that even a serious tragedy like this bounces off officialdom8217;s teflon facade. After all, wasn8217;t it just a few months ago that Andhra Pradesh was rocked by the most ugly child export racket, where two certified adoption centres were blatantly selling babies 8212; procured from marginalised communities through brokers 8212; to families abroad. When news items of this kind appear in the press, there may be a few arrests, someone may be transferred here, some words of regret may be expressed there,but there is no real outrage, no deep conviction that tragedies of this kind must never, ever be allowed to occur again. For the child it is abandonment twice over 8212; first by its biological parents, and then by the State.

The perennial grouse of social welfare authorities is that there is very little money that is coming their way. Certainly a strong case can be made for increasing the outlay to welfare homes for children, but what compounds the disadvantage of poor resources is an all-pervasive corruption. This ensures that even the little money that is earmarked for child welfare does not reach the people it is meant for. As if this is not bad enough, there is a general apathy at all levels of the administration.

In the Shishu Ghar case, the children died because of dehydration caused by diarrhoeal infection. While it is true that more children die of diarrhoea in this country than any other disease, a little care could have prevented such a widespread outbreak. What is the point in runninginstitutions for children who are in a vulnerable state of health, if the State cannot even guarantee that they get clean drinking water and simple oral rehydration therapy should they fall ill? When the caregivers at Shishu Ghar were asked why the could not ensure even the most basic standards of hygiene and healthcare, they predictably threw up their hands and lamented that they faced a severe shortage of staff.

The lives of children have simply no worth it seems. The sight of children eking a living in dangerous conditions, making firecrackers or glass bangles, have long ceased to cause concern. The streets of most large cities are full of destitute children who lead often short and brutal lives.

In Mumbai, three decades ago, the state government had bravely set aside a 3.5 acre plot for a special children8217;s home. It was meant to rehabilitate minor girls rescued from prostitution. Today, the plan has simply vanished from the social welfare drawing board of the state and the minor girls rescued arehoused in makeshift homes for beggars. Such is the Dickensian tragedy of child welfare in this country. The recent events in Jaipur8217;s Shishu Ghar is just another chapter in this unending saga.