Act of balancing

The recent incidents of the serious crime against children in the schools have astonished the entire society and as usual every body is showing concern towards the safety of the school going children. The ministry headed by Mrs. Menaka Gandhi is very serious about the problems faced by women and children at different places. In a sincere move to save children from being subjected to physical or psychological punishments at home and in the schools, the ministry is planning to implement some stringent laws so that the children are safe and they grow as responsible and confident citizens of the nation. This is a welcome step and had been given a thought before the situation was allowed to reach where it is today that the children suffer a lot in silence. The teachers' response to such a law may be scary but the ones who are not able to control their impulses and involve themselves in scolding or beating the children to the extent that many children become terrified. The role of teachers and parents is to provide a conducive environment for proper and healthy growth of the children. This can be done by letting children learn and do things as per their aptitude and liking. Sometimes the children may not be able to decide what is good for them and for the society; in that case the parents and teachers can play the role of facilitator.

The other issue which is under consideration of the ministry is to reduce the age of juvenile from 18 years to 16 years so that the young male involved in heinous crimes like rape, assault etc; against the women and the children can be tried in proper court and not in juvenile court where they being in the category of the juvenile get a lot of leverage although the crime committed by them demands serious punishment.  Now these two issues left me flabbergasted because to me they seem to be contradictory. I shall put forward my views in a manner that nobody feels offended because the problem in our country is that tolerance to respect the other’s point of view of is plummeting. I consider that the punishment is not necessarily the solution of all problems in all cases. This should be judicious and not based on emotional state of the mind. The children are the future citizens of the society and they should be handled properly and effectively so that the issues like rape etc exterminate from the society forever. Our children should be exposed to such environment where they are safe and they see everybody else safe, irrespective of the gender, caste or religion. If we can do that, then there will be no requirement of any stringent laws. Nevertheless, this is quite a paradox because on one hand the ministry wants to punish parents and the teachers by imprisoning them up to five years and on the other hand bringing down the age of juvenile to 16 years and punishing them too as adults? We should be very clear what our approach is towards crime of different nature.  I think that crime is an offense irrespective of whatever may be the age or reason. Either we create the kind of the society where everyone respects the other by the means of education or fear of punishment. We must have zero tolerance towards crime against anybody whether a child, woman or man.

The problem with our policy and law makers has been that they have been reactive than being proactive. The laws have been ratified in a hurry at times under the threat of the so called NGOs or the human rights commissions. Many people are of the opinion that the existing laws are good enough if enforced effectively. Today we are talking a lot about the issues related to children being bullied in the schools by their peers and punished by the teachers. There are some teachers who give corporal punishment to the children, which is against the law. If the policy of no corporal punishment is implemented by the schools sincerely then this problem can controlled up to a large extent. But many schools do not take it seriously. Due to some incidents taking place here and there, a panic is created and the government is forced to implement another law which seems to be more severe than the existing one. As I mentioned earlier, we should be proactive then being reactive to the situation and the laws enforced should be such that they do not affect the innocent ones. The misuse of the anti dowry law has been realized by everybody including the honorable Supreme Court. This law when enforced, was done with sincerity towards curbing the dowry menace in the society but there should have been protection for the innocent ones. My suggestion to the government and the society is that the same should not be the fate of the other laws related to the children, teachers and the parents. We must understand that no parent would like to punish the child just for the sake of it. Rather, I come across many cases where they express helplessness and want schools to punish their children so that they listen to the parents. Substantiating my statement here, there have been instances where  the parents were right but the child forced them to do what he/she wanted. A child who was 15 years of age asked his parents for a motorbike which was limited edition of a brand and naturally the costly one. The parents did not agree to that and the child stopped eating food and blackmailed them that if they did not agree to his demands, he would take an extreme step. The parents remained firm for 3-4 days and when the child did not listen to them, they resigned to his unjust demand. I do not say that the parents did the right thing but what should have been the right thing in this case, this question is asked by many such parents.

The recent news in one of the newspapers is another side of the problem. A child of class 9th was questioned by a teacher for not having done his homework. The child was so angry that he attacked the teacher outside the school and teacher was to be admitted to a hospital in ICU. This is not one incident of this type and if such incidents keep rising, then will the government enforce another law against the children involved in such acts. Our laws should be balanced and not swinging between extremes which seem to be the case as on today. The teachers, parents and the children all are important and everybody should have a respected place in the society. Though it is the responsibility of the parents that the children are safe and are looked after well at home and in the schools but the children should also be responsible enough for their behavior and the activities in the schools as well as outside the schools. This is a difficult task to balance but is imperative in a somber society. We should be careful regarding the freedom of all individuals but all individuals in turn should also be aware of the freedom and respect for others. My request to all teachers and parents would be to teach the children by their example and not necessarily by force. The children would do what they see us doing. Let us try to develop the respect and love for each other than the fear of punishment and hatred. The relationship between the teacher and student and the parent and the child is so pious that it should not be poisoned with this medicine of punishment. The parents and the teachers can play a significant role in this to happen. May God gives us strength to help our children by our hard work, patience and sincerity without worrying for anything in return, good or not so good.