child rights

The practice of corporal punishment is often adopted by teachers, to implement discipline, among students. Corporal punishment is an extreme breach of children’s right to protection, besides being a form of physical/mental violence. As per Indian law, corporal punishment amounts to human rights violations too. According to the official report of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, conducted in 2007, on child abuse, two out of every three students are physically abused. Further, 73% of boys face physical punishment as compared to 65% of girls.  All of this makes children fear teachers and become miserable in class. However, most of the students choose to suffer silently, rather than reporting the matter to parents or to others.

Under Indian laws that pertain to the joint family system, when a joint family undergoes partition, each member of the family is entitled to claim his/her share. Under Hindu law, coparacenary share is the term that is used. When partition is being contemplated and any woman of the family is pregnant at the time, Hindu law recommends postponing the partition till the child is born. In Hindu law, a child in the womb also has the right to a share. However, if it is not possible to reschedule the partition, a share must be kept aside and that share must be equal to the coparcener’s share. If, in case, the partition takes place without keeping a coparcener share for the unborn child, the after born son has the right to get the partition reopened.

India has emerged as a popular destination for couples seeking surrogacy options. What is it about India that makes it so attractive for having surrogate babies? Experts believe that the two major reasons are reduced cost of surrogacy in India as compared to other developed countries; In India, the entire process of surrogacy costs somewhere between Rs.10 lakh to Rs.25 lakh, compared to the U.S. where it could cost up to $ 120, 000. The second reason is the lack of proper laws on surrogacy, making it easy for couples to have surrogate babies in India.

Childhood is glorified by writers, poets, thinkers, educators, teachers and so many others. Have you wondered why there is so much importance given to children even in the Indian Constitution and the Directive Principles of State Policy? Truth is that childhood is a critical period in the life of an individual because abilities and vulnerabilities are molded and developed based on the influence in the social environment. For the same reason, protection of the child and being aware of child rights is important for the well being of every country.