People become vulnerable when they either lose their rights or don’t have them at all. In both cases it is vulnerability which remains the common force which renders them powerless and voiceless. Children of India have always remained voiceless and largely without rights with unspoken and uncounted miseries which not only curbed their right to live a normal and healthy life but has in many cases violated their basic rights of citizenship- right to life- survival, development, protection & participation.
In this context it is very important to look at the issues that keep people especially living in the rural hinterland of India poor and the children thereof, poorer. The poverty of children is not only lack of opportunity to access resources but also lack of opportunity to grow and develop their understanding and skills which remain the prerogative of rich and highbred social beings mostly living in the urban parts of India.
The villages do not have resources enough for the people to survive and flourish which make it living saving for them to migrate to other cities for work especially during summers and spring due to lack of agriculture, water, forest produce, and other livelihood sources. Most of the smaller children move along with their immediate families because of lack of support systems in their native villages. Since they migrate they are also deprived of essential services like ICDS, Health Schemes, Education and other benefits. The destination they migrate to also does not support the essential services that they require, making them vulnerable.
In our experience of working with the most marginalised children we have found that the children lack any intellectual stimulation which can help them to understand their own selves. The schools education too does not develop the sense of inquiry among the children which in a way is a major reason for children not pursuing education and drop out often due to lack of interest and motivation. The concept of intellectual stimulation is not only distant for these children but is also absent in most cases as during a meeting with children we found out eating two square meals could be a luxury for some children who are left alone in the village while both parents go out for work. There is a need for deeper engagement with not only children for them to open their minds but also with parents as care givers, teacher as nurturers, duty bearers as protectors and community as the custodian of culture and social norms.