Underprivileged Children: Victims of Socio-economic Problems in Society

Growing up is supposed to be looked back with fond memories and happiness, at least that’s how it ought to be. However, socio-economic problems that plagiarize the world are known to prevent this from happening. Children from the weaker sections of the society are known to be the most vulnerable section of the society. They are trapped in this dogmatic situation and sadly have no one whom they can really turn to for love, support, warmth and care.

Dreams of happiness and engaging in fun-filled activities such as visiting a park, a water-park, having a care-free life are unimaginable for these underprivileged children as a result of their economic situation. Their dreams are limited and sadly the main thing that any one of these children could aspire or dream of is for a proper meal and security. Sadly, India has the largest number of child laborers in the world.

Malnourished for perhaps days on end, these children have no one to turn to and sadly there is actually no one whom they can turn to. Their parents, too are suffering from the same problem that they face; poverty and through this problem manifests plenty of other problems which only further complicate life.

So, thus it can be said that it is a ‘privilege’ to live a life of dignity, happiness and security. While many of us are born into families where we face no such problem, thousands of individuals and children are born into a scary and fearful life, where each and every step of the way is a struggle.

NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organizations) have been in operation across the world, working towards the alleviation and upliftment of these children. They work on tackling various issues such as gender discrimination, abuse, health problems and homelessness. Many of these children engage in menial jobs such as street vending, begging, prostitution, domestic labor, sifting through garbage to find recyclable material, tending to animals, etc. These children suffer from deep emotional scars, where they lack confidence, self esteem and have a poor self-image.

Besides this, gender discrimination is a major problem affecting these children where females are often discriminated against. Their education, health, and human rights (freedom) are severely impacted. Child marriage is extremely common amongst such children, which only leads to the girl child becoming more disadvantaged than she already was.

Poor health is perpetually a chronic problem for these children and very often nothing is done to improve the health condition of these children. They are exposed to innumerable diseases, most unlikely to be vaccinated against diseases or receive any type of medical treatment. Very often, they cannot even afford medicines or doctors. This is merely one aspect of the problems they face, other than the fact that their homes are extremely unhygienic.

Engaging in labor, leaves these children suffering from physical and mental exhaustion, muscle and bone afflictions and exposure to dangerous chemicals. Therefore, with most of the odds stacked against them, these children have an uncertain supply of food, water; miss out on education, health and medical treatment. They are also likely to suffer from abuse and illness. So, this situation of poverty is known to dump a crowd of problems on these innocent children. The problems that they suffer from only conspire to keep the child poor throughout his/her life.

So do you think you can help and make a difference by supporting an NGO that works towards their upliftment?