Though there has been growing awareness over issues of children worldwide with international support, the structural issues such as institutional social discrimination against children remain unaddressed in States like Odisha where a large section of children of marginalized section depends on Government schemes for survival and development.
The age old structured social issues has been excluding a vast section of children from realization of their childhood rights.
It is being observed that the child rights proponents in the State very seldom discuss issues of untouchability and caste-based discrimination that persist in Government-run institutions concerning lakhs of children every day. Social inequality and discrimination has been in practice everywhere in village Anganwadi centers, primary schools, hostels, play grounds and many such common places for children where children of marginalized sections are being treated discriminately because of their social identity.
The socio-psychological damages caused to them at such tender age are not being seen seriously as a violence and violation of rights of child standardized by the international convention on rights of the child. The existence of international conventions, State laws and programmes are primarily targeting the marginalized and underprivileged sections but the very implementation process by the State Government miss the focus and do not reach the children in the grassroots. Eradication of social barrier in child centered institutions run by public and private bodies must be addressed urgently to build a discrimination-free environment conducive for mental and physical growth of every child, especially children of marginalized sections who are in need of protection against discrimination.
The condition of the marginalized children is the reflection of the prevailing economic condition and social status of the society they belong to. The most vulnerable defenceless children are easy targets of all kinds of exploitation and oppression in our prevailing social structure. The child protection and defence mechanism must be built in our family and social life but unfortunately our value systems are historically based on caste orientation, which do not educate us to treat every child equally with dignity.
Every day we hear the occurrences of cases of discrimination from different parts of the State and especially from districts of Ganjam, Puri and Dhenkanal where the worst form of untouchability practice is going on. Private survey and media reports say there are practices of two glass system in tea shops of the village.
The village saloons are restricted to the untouchable communities such as Pana, Hadi, Dandasi, Dom and Khadal who are being socially treated very badly in the village. Even there are communities enjoying all kinds of benefits as Scheduled Caste but get into practice of untouchability against fellow Scheduled Caste communities.
Many of the studies on atrocities against SCs show that the backward classes are the immediate oppressor as in majority of the cases they are found as perpetrator. The traditional service provider castes belong to SCs and OBCs such as Dhobi and Barik also usually do not serve the untouchable communities.
Majority of the untouchable families have no homestead land as they are living in segregation at the end part of the village without record of rights over the land they have been in possession for generations.
The children have no playground facilities at their premises and are also not allowed to play with caste Hindu children in the village playground. This situation shows the violation of rights of child, right to play, right to leisure and recreation.
The Anganwadi centers and primary schools are two most important public institutions in the life of the children in rural areas that shape their future. It is a fact that barring a few exceptions, almost in every village the marginalized children are being treated discriminately by the service providers who are mostly drawn from socially dominant caste Hindu families. In spite of guideline of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the women of socially marginalized communities are not getting scope to get appointed as service providers. Children are being forced to sit separately and being served MDM separately.
lakhs of pregnant women, mother and children are facing social discrimination by service providers appointed under the Government schemes for the poor and the marginalized. Though ICDS has been started since 1975 but during last 40 years, no major change has taken place in its social composition of service providers. The Right to Education Act prohibits all forms of discrimination in schools and the World Education Forum on its education agenda says equitable and inclusive quality education should be ensured. But it is a fact that the children of the marginalized communities in villages are treated as inferior by their own teachers and service providers to others. It is estimated that more than 90 per cent of the children out of school belong to the marginalized sections and social discrimination has been identified as one of the major reasons of their absenteeism. Though the enrolment has improved in records but these sections of children are out of school and only their names are found in school register.
The children are often forced in many places to sit separately, eat separately during mid-day meal and stay outside the kitchen and prevented to touch utensils and water pots. During pujas in schools, they are not allowed to break coconut and offer prayers while their fellow students can do everything freely without restrictions.
In many of the events of social interactions with teachers and friends and others in schools, they face undeclared constraint because of their social identity. Sometimes teachers identify them by announcing their names in the class as SCs and STs to receive scholarship in a very humiliating manner before fellow classmates.
These kinds of child rights violation issues in the State are not sufficiently documented and discussed in proper forums and there is also lack of data of such cases with the Government or the child rights bodies of the State.
The child right conventions need to be translated into action at the village level and the protection of the most vulnerable section must be prioritized.
Our traditional caste based mindset and many of the anti-human obscurantist practices in the name of religion, tradition, customs and cultures must be changed towards realization of social democracy, human dignity and brotherhood among fellow children of the village.
(manasbbsr15@gmail.com)