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Summary
Social Justice Class 02

THE CLASS STARTED WITH A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS TOPICS (04:03 PM)

CHILD ISSUES (04:10 PM)

  • Definition of child:
  • Child Labour Prohibition Act mentions any individual below (14 years is a child)
  • The Factories Act mentions any individual below (15 years is a child)
  • The Juvenile Justice Act mentions any individual below (16 years is a child)
  • POCSO Act mentions any individual below (18 years is a child)
  • UNCRC mentions any individual below (18 years is a child)
  • Rights of the Child:
  • Right to Survival.
  • Right to development.
  • Right to Protection.
  • Right to Participation.
  • Child Issues:
  • Sexual abuse
  • Child labour
  • Juvenile delinquency
  • Child Marriage.
  • National Policy for Children (2013)
  • Every Individual above 18 years is considered a child.
  • Ministry of Women and Children development in 2016, issued a National Plan of Action for Children (NPAC)
  • National Plan of Action for Children (NPAC):
  • Survival:
  • Universal Immunisation.
  • Robust MCH.
  • Universalisation with respect to pre-, peri and post-natal care.
  • Development:
  • Extend the ambit of the Right to education with respect to preschool education and secondary education.
  • Protection:
  • Strengthen legislative, administrative and institutional mechanisms and infrastructure to ensure a 'Zero Tolerance policy with respect to violence against Children'
  • Participation:
  • Ensure the participation of children in the planning and implementation of policies on the issues concerning them.
  • Example, Bal panchayat (Makkala Panchayat-Karnataka, Raise issues of toilets in schools, Child Labour, etc.)
  • MoWCD has established NCAG (National Coordination and Action Group) to ensure the implementation of NPAC.
  • According to NCRB Data, out of all the crimes against children 36% fall under the ambit of the POCSO, Act.
  • According to MoWCD, 53% of Children are subjected to abuse in more than 90% of the cases, the known person is involved and Only 6% of cases are getting reported.

CHILD LABOUR (04:43 PM)

  • Concept:
  • ILO, defines any labour which deprives children of their potential dignity and childhood and is harmful to their physical and cognitive development as child labour.
  • Statistics:
  • According to the Census, 10.1 mn children were engaged in labour.
  • 7.3% of Child Labour (Globally)
  • 80% of child labour in rural areas.
  • Maximum child labour is in UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, MP.
  • 62.8% of Child labour is in hazardous work.
  • Efforts against Child Labour:
  • a) Constitutional Provisions:
  • Article 23, Article 24 and Article 39(e).
  • b) Statutory Provisions:
  • Child Labour Prohibition Act.
  • c) Government Schemes:
  • NCL Project.
  • NCL Policy.
  • PENCIL Portal.
  • d) International Convention:
  • ILO Convention 138 and 182.
  • Causes of Child Labour:
  • a) Push Factors:
  • Poverty.
  • Unemployment of parents.
  • High fertility rate.
  • b) Pull Factors:
  • Cheap Labour
  • Low bargaining power
  • Easy to hire and fire.
  • Way Forward:
  • Strict implementation of laws, ensuring certainty
  • Adequate budget allocation for successful implementation of NCLP.
  • According to the Gurupadswami Report, Till poverty and unemployment exist, child labour can not be eradicated.
  • Kailash Satyarthi's initiative like 'Bachpan Bachao Andolan'

JUVENILE DELINQUENCY (05:08 PM)

  • Juvenile:
  • A Juvenile is a person less than 18 years old.
  • It referred to a large variety of disapproved behaviour for which some kind of punishment is justified in the public interest.
  • Juvenile Justice Act deals with :
  • Crime Committed by the Juvenile
  • Crime Committed against Juvenile
  • Child in need of care and protection. (Child Welfare Committee)(Orphan, Abandoned, Surrendered children)
  • Child legally available for adoption (Central Adoption Resource Authority)
  • Types of Crimes:
  • a) Petty Crime
  • b) Serious Crime
  • c) Heinous Crime.
  • Implication of Juvenile Delinquency:
  • At Individual Level:
  • It restricts access to resources, causes social ostracisation, naming and shaming, High probability of poverty, isolation and alienation, and increased chances of further committing deviant acts.
  • At Family Level:
  • Boycott of family.
  • Negative impact on interpersonal relations.
  • Negative impact on the standard of living.
  • At Societal and National level:
  • Threatens peace and harmony.
  • Further escalates incidences of crime and demographic disasters.
  • Negative impact on economic growth as population turns into a liability.

CHILD MARRIAGE (05:34 PM)

  • Premise:
  • The Odisha government rolled out a plan to make the state completely free of child marriage.
  • Concept:
  • As per the CMPA (2006), Males > 21 years  and Females >18 years.
  • Statistics:
  • India has 1/3rd of global child brides.
  • Nearly 16% of adolescent girls (15-19) are currently married.
  • Most commonly found in Jharkhand, Bihar, Rajasthan, AP, etc.
  • NCRB (2020): 785 cases were registered under PCMA (2006)
  • According to Census 2011, 30.2% of married women were married before the age of 18 years.
  • Causes:
  • Girl children are associated with the honour of family + the absence of safety and security.
  • A girl child is perceived as an economic liability.
  • The younger the bride, the lower is dowry.
  • In Poor households, the girl child is also treated as the 'Source of income'
  • Implication of Child Marriage:
  • Domestic violence, sexual abuse and social isolation of girl child.
  • Deprieved girl of their education and meaningful work.
  • Inter-generational cycle of poverty.
  • Way Forward:
  • Ensuring the safety and security of girls.
  • IEC campaigns + Nukkad Nataks + Television.
  • Collective organising to combat the menace of Child marriage.
  • Active participation of civil society + NGOs to prevent child marriage.

ELDERLY POPULATION (05:57 PM)

  • Statistics:
  • According to Census 2011, 8.6% of the population is old age.
  • It will increase to 16% by 2041.
  • Ruralization of old age = 71%.
  • Feminization of old age = 1033/1000.
  • Healthy Ageing:
  • It has replaced a focus on 'Active Aging' -> Optimizing opportunities for health, participation and securing to improve the quality of life of the older population.
  • It refers to the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age.
  • There exists a stark north-south divide with respect to demography, Discuss its impacts on policy making.
  • Silver Economy:
  • It is a system of production, distribution and consumption of goods aimed at using the purchasing potential of older and ageing people.
  • It aims at satisfying their consumption, living and health needs.
  • The government has taken an initiative 'SAGE Initiative' (Senior Care Ageing Growth Engine)
  • It has been taken to promote entrepreneurs and startups to invest in the silver economy, fostering innovation in elderly care solutions.
  • On the other hand it provides one-stop access for stakeholders including senior citizens and their families to access a wide range of products and services catering to their needs.
  • SACRED Portal (Senior Able Citizens for Re-employment in Dignity):
  • It is launched to connect 'Senior Citizens with Job providers
  • It empowers them and provides an opportunity to find work which matches their preference and skills.
  • Issues of old age population:
  • a) Declining health.
  • Ageing is synonymous with declining health and the problem gets aggravated due to lack of 4A'Q with respect to health care.
  • b) Income insecurity.
  • Their problem is aggravated by to lack of access to income support
  • It further escalates due to a lack of understanding of technology and stiff competition with youth.
  • c) Isolation and neglect:
  • According to the Agewell Foundation, 43% of old people suffer from depression due to isolation, Globalization has resulted in the disintegration of joint families, new institutions of knowledge, Individualism, corruption of value systems, dual career families, and penetration of technology and social media.
  • d) Subjected to abuse:
  • Due to the corruption of the value system, old people are often subjected to different types of abuse for example, Physical, Financial, verbal, emotional, sexual, etc.
  • e) Problem of Ageism:
  • It is a prejudiced attitude where older people are considered as a liability.
  • f) Feminization of old age:
  • Underrepresentation of women in paid work makes them financially vulnerable in old age.
  • According to the World Widows Report, India is home to the highest number of widows in the world, who are often subjected to stigma and discrimination.
  • Digital divide: 60% of the older women have never used digital devices,  and 59% are not familiar with social media platforms.
  • Only, 45% of them are literate, and 43% of them are getting physically abused.
  • According to the UN Women Report, Older women are less likely to enjoy income security.
  • 65% of them don't have access to health insurance.
  • g) Lack of old age homes both with respect to quality and quantity:
  • h) Lack of preparedness with respect to old age.
  • In contemporary society, there is no awareness program to prepare them for old age, it sets in quite and suddenly.
  • Way forward:
  • Create an age-friendly environment
  • Mainstream the concerns for senior citizens
  • Recognize the elders as productive assets
  • Promote care of the old population within the family and institutional care should be the last resort.
  • Encourage employment opportunities for Example, Self-employment, SHGs, cooperatives, Old age in Think tanks, Counselling agents, and multi-generational care homes.
  • Enhance legislation to promote equality and non-discrimination on the basis of age in providing health services, insurance policies, etc.
  • Combat Ageism.

TOPICS FOR THE NEXT CLASS: TRANSGENDER, POVERTY AND HUNGER.