Few
years back, when I was staying in US, I came to know from one of my
friends there, about a strange but very thought provoking incident.
This incident took place in the life of a senior citizen from India,
who along with his wife had come to US for visiting his son and son's
family and had planned to stay there for few months. His son had two
children of a very awkward age, who were neither small kids nor
teenagers. On this particular day, both parents of these children,
being care free because of the presence of the grandparents in the
house, had gone out for a day and were expected to return in the
night. The grandparents usually lived in India on their own and were
not much used to the din and commotion created by the children and
found it hard to cope up. Since the parents were not home, the
children had created considerable ruckus in the house. The poor
granddad managed to bear with the rumpus for a long time but when the
grandchildren started pushing and pulling him he got really peeved
and irritated and gave a big slap to one of the grandchildren.
The
children, who were raised in the US from their birth and who were
trained there as per social norms prevalent in US, found it
impossible to bear the fact that this rather unfamiliar old man, who
had recently come to their house from India, physically assaulted
them. As per training received by them, the children immediately
called the police. Within 5 minutes the police came, found out what
has happened and straight way handcuffed the old man and took him to
police station leaving behind the grandmother and the grandchildren.
When the parents returned home, they found out what had happened in
their absence. However since it was night time, nothing much could be
done. Next morning, after submission of required papers and
completion of all formalities, grandfather was released from police
custody. This middle class senior citizen from India, who had never
committed even any traffic offense in India, was shell shocked and
frustrated with his experience. He simply phoned his wife and told
her to come to police station with his clothes, money and passport
and when she arrived, left for the airport straight from the police
station. He along with his wife, took the next available return
flight to India.
I do
not know the extent to which this story is true? Or how much spice
has been added to it. But from my own experiences in US, the
probability of it's occurrence appears to be quite on the high side.
Whenever
I had an occasion to listen to any of the American (originally from
India) parents trying to rebuke or lecture their kids for foolish
behaviour or for creating commotion, I get a feeling of sympathy or
pity growing inside me. These parents can not go beyond statements
like “ We are not going to do that. O.K.” or “This is not
proper, behave, O.K.” This word "O.K." is so loaded with
feelings of extreme anger, frustration and bitterness that unless it
is heard, it is very difficult to imagine the inbound feeling of
helplessness in it. If a punishment is needed to be given to the
kids, the severe most punishment is usually spending few minutes in
the garage and which is popularly known as “Timeout”.
If
anyone draws a conclusion from my dislike for the way in which
American parents try to discipline their children that I am all for
slapping or beating children, they would be totally off the target.
Its a fact, that when I was a kid, I was hammered by some odd teacher
or by my mother or father couple of times. But I find this physical
violence method of disciplining children quite distasteful. I still
quite remember the pain, anger and insult felt by me about 60 years
ago, when a standby teacher had slapped my face.
An
occasional slap given to a child is really a tip of an iceberg. Real
social problem in India or any where in the world is about the
violence and the cruelty shown to children. The stringent laws made
in US are in reality for preventing this violence with children. I am
on this subject today because recently I became aware that Government
of India is planning to introduce a new law about violence and
cruelty shown to children and also child abuse, which I consider as a
good and necessary action. If this law comes into force, we are
likely to face in India similar situation as in US. There is an old
saying in English “ Spare the rod and spoil the child” The famous
English author Charles Dickens has described very effectively the
plight of small kids under heavy discipline of Victorian England in
his famous novels like 'Oliver Twist' or 'David Copperfield' . Most
of my readers must have read these books. It is said that after
Dickens wrote these books, school reforms were pushed in England. In
India, we have been lucky and never had these kind of schools
bordering on cruelty.
This
proposed law now stipulates that any harsh punishment given to
children by schools, kindergartens or for that matter by parents and
relatives would be a cognizable offense and children in India can
complain to Police and eventually subject the schools or persons to a
criminal suite. First such offense invites a fine of Rs. 5000 and one
year jail term. Any subsequent offense by the same person would make
him liable to a fine of Rs. 25000 and a jail term of 3 years.
Presently guiding principles suggested by National Commission for
Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) are used as legal remedy for
prevention of cruelty to children. Woman and child development
ministry of the Government of India has now finalized a new
legislative bill called as 'Prevention of offenses against child,
bill. This bill when passed by the Indian Parliament would become the
law of the land.
The
bill describes in details what actions could be considered as harsh
punishments or enforcement of any unlawful behaviour. Cruelty shown
to children and any action of abuse to take sexual, economic,
physical and social advantage at the cost of child would be liable
for punishment under this law. Specific penal clauses are specified
in this bill for forcing a child to beg or make them work or ask them
to carry out dangerous domestic or outside work, would be offenses
all and specific punishments have been prescribed in the bill.
Criminal acts like sexual abuse, involving child in drug trafficking
or making a child consume a narcotic substance, exhibiting
pornographic materials to children would all invite life imprisonment
punishments. Schools, kindergartens, relatives, neighbours, friends,
day care centers and even jails and remand homes would come under the
ambit of this law.
We do
see even today in big cities of India, children begging or selling
some stuff on the road junctions. In North India, poor children are
commonly made to work in hazardous and polluted work places. The
India society even today treats poor and destitute children in most
inhumane manner. The new bill would be a good counter measure against
such behaviour. Some of the parents or grandparents, still used to
old ways, are likely to suffer in the initial periods. But largely
such an act would definitely help in giving the kids a new deal.
There appears to be no doubt about that.
15th
February 2014
