Issues Relating to Children

Notes 88 Pages

University Grants Commission

Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course

Contributed by

Krishna Venkataraman

1

Semester-V
Vulnerable Sections of Society: Understanding their Issues
5.1 Issues Relating to Children

1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Definition and Concept of Vulnerable Child
1.3 Types of Vulnerability
1.3.1 Concept of Social Vulnerability
1.3.2 Concept of Physical Vulnerability
1.3.3 Concept of Economic Vulnerability
1.3.4 Concept of Environment Vulnerability
1.3.5 Concept of Attitudinal Vulnerability
1.4 Factors associated with the Vulnerable Child
1.4.1 Physical factors
1.4.2 Economic factors
1.4.3 Environmental factors
1.4.4 Social factors
1.5 Major Issues
1.5.1 Nutrition
1.5.2 Child labour
1.5.3 Child Abuse
1.5.4 Child Trafficking
1.6 Legal Aspects
1.7 Let us Sum Up
1.8 Keywords
1.9 Check Your Progress
1.10 Suggested Reading

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1.0 Objectives
The objectives of this chapter are
 To create awareness about vulnerable children
 To understand the types of vulnerability that exists in society
 To make students conscious about the vulnerable sections of the society

1.1 Introduction
Today’s child is tomorrow’s future. The child’s growth process, mental development
and social development can only be possible if the child is nurtured in a healthy environment.
So, a great concern arises for the vulnerable sections of the society. The stakeholders of the
society should be well aware of the vulnerability of the children who are exposed to abuse and
neglect, requiring protection. Before understanding their issues, one has to gain knowledge
about who is a vulnerable child, types of vulnerabilitythat occurs in the society and issues
related to vulnerable children.

1.2 Definition and Concept of Vulnerable Child
The concept of vulnerability and the vulnerable child can be well understood by the
following definition. Vulnerability is defined by World Health Organisation (WHO) and
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as: “Vulnerability is the state or condition of being
weak or poorly defended.” The concept of vulnerability with regard to young people implies
the ones who are more exposed to risks than their peers. They can be vulnerable in terms of
deprivation (food, education and parental care), exploitation, abuse, neglect, violence and
infection with HIV. There are various factors which make the Indian children vulnerable and
exposed to risk factors like illness, lack of education and lack of identity. Extreme poverty is
another major factor for vulnerability. According to UNICEF estimates, 33% of India’s
population lives below the international poverty line and 28% of rural and 26% of urban
population of India lives below the national poverty line. The alarming concept is that young
girls are vulnerable to anaemia, malnutrition and domestic violence.
In a nutshell, the concept of vulnerability refers to the group of people who are exposed to
more risks than their peers and are separated from their parents. They are the real vulnerable
group. According to World Bark’s “Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVE)” toolkit:
“Vulnerable are the group of children who experience negative outcomes, such as the loss of
their education, morbidity and mal-nutrition at higher rates than their peers. The main
categories of vulnerable children are:
 Street children
 Children in the worst forms of child labour
 Children affected by armed conflict
 Children affected by HIV/AIDS
 Children living with disability
 Local orphan and vulnerable children

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The meaning and concept of vulnerability needs to be understood by the stakeholders of
the society. This chapter will enable the students to understand who is a vulnerable child and
their issues in brief.

1.3 Types of Vulnerability
 Concept of social/ individual vulnerability
 Concept of physical vulnerability
 Concept of economic vulnerability
 Concept of environmental vulnerability
 Concept of attitudinal vulnerability

According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(2019), vulnerability in this context can be defined as the “diminished anticipate, cope with,
resist and recover from the impact of a natural or man-made hazard.” Vulnerability in fact
describes the characteristics and circumstances of a community, system on asset that make it
susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard. There are many aspects of vulnerability that
arise out of physical, social, economic and environmental factors.

1.3.1 Concept of Social Vulnerability
Human being is a social animal and society plays an important role in social
development, so the positive and negative impact of the society affects the human being’s
holistic growth. Social vulnerability concept and how the vulnerable stressors affects the
human life must be understood. One of the dimensions of vulnerability is related to multiple
stressors including abuse, social exclusion and natural hazards and the inability of people,
organisations and societies to withstand the adverse impact of these stress creators.
It includes aspects related to levels of literacy and education, the existence of peace and
security, access to basic human rights, systems of good governance, social equity, traditional
values, customs and ideological beliefs and overall collective organisational systems
(UNISDR). So, social vulnerability is created through the interaction of social forces and
multiple stressors and also resolved through social conditions.
For example:
When flooding occurs, some citizens such as children, elderly and differently abled may be
evacuated. It requires involvement of local communities and strengthening the people’s ability
to help themselves.

1.3.2 Concept of Physical Vulnerability
Physical vulnerability refers to the degree of susceptibility within the physical
environment and the negative impact of hazards. It is the ability of built environment, i.e.,
homes, roads, bridges, hospitals, schools and government buildings to protect the individual
from natural disasters. Physical vulnerability generally refers to the monetary value of physical
assets in the hazardous zones. Physical vulnerability includes:
1) Structural damage or collapse to buildings
2) Non-structural damage and damage to contents
3) Structural damage to infrastructure
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These are direct losses to the assets of the society. The indirect losses due to physical
vulnerability is the progressive deterioration of damaged buildings and infrastructure which are
not repaired. So, there is a need of accessing the physical vulnerability of urban areas,
communities and the buildings of nearby slum areas. The physical vulnerability of an area also
depends on its geographic proximity to the source and origin of the disasters, i.e., if area lies
near to the coast lines, fault lines and unstable hills etc. It also makes the area more vulnerable
to disasters as compared to an area that is far away from the origin of the disasters. Physical
vulnerability includes the difficulty in access to water resources, means of communications,
hospitals, police stations, fire brigades, roads, buildings in an area in case of disasters. All these
inaccessibility also arises out of lack of planning and implementation. At times, problematic
construction of residential and commercial buildings results in the land being vulnerable to
earthquake, floods, landslides and then hazards. How can the society expect a healthy body and
healthy mind of a child who has experienced these difficulties throughout his life? The
challenges of these aspects of physical vulnerability have to be realised by all and it needs to
be reduced at all levels.

1.3.3 Concept of Economic Vulnerability
Income and expenditure are like two sides of a coin. The sources of income determine
the expenditure pattern. The economic condition of the family and individual in particular
determines the lifestyle and adjustment in life. The concept of economic vulnerability of a
community can be assessed by determining how varied its sources of income, means of
production (e.g. farm and livestock, irrigation, etc.) and the economic transactions are and the
availability of natural resources in the area. To understand economic vulnerability, one has to
understand about the economic vulnerability index. Economic vulnerability index is a
composition of the following eight indicators:
1) Population size
2) Remoteness
3) Merchandised export concentration
4) Share of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in gross domestic product
5) Homelessness due to natural disasters
6) Instability of agricultural production
In simple terms, economic vulnerability refers to the condition that creates hazards on
economic assets and processes such as business interruption, secondary effects such as
increased poverty and job loss in society. It has a direct impact over the economic status of
individuals, communities and nation. The lowest rung are prone to disasters because they lack
to resources, low income and negatively affected by natural disasters. So, the economic
vulnerable groups who are staying under small sheds need more care and attention from all
levels.
1.3.4 Concept of Environment Vulnerability
Environmental vulnerability refers to the tendency of the environment to respond either
positively or negatively to changes in human and climatic conditions. For example: the
wetlands such as Caroni Swamp, tsunami and pollution from storm water containing
agricultural chemicals, eroded soils and acid rain, etc. It has direct impact over agriculture,
housing and economy and increases the health risks for vulnerable populations, in particular
women and children. In fact, the world population will reach nine billion (nine hundred crores)
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by 2050. Climate change can affect human health through the direct hazards of nature such as
heatwave, floods and storms disrupted eco-system. So the environment has a direct impact
over the vulnerable populations. In order to sustain the planet and the population living on it,
we need to expand our knowledge of energy consumption, sustainability, water and food
security and its impact on human health. Hence, the case of environment and preservation of
natural resources for the future generation is a real concern for today’s generation.
1.3.5 Concept of Attitudinal Vulnerability
‘Attitude’ means the behavioural reactions towards a particular thing. There is
attitudinal vulnerability among the people who never try to accept any change. In simple terms,
attitudinal vulnerability refers to “a community which has the negative attitude towards change
and lacks initiative in life leading to more and more dependence on external support”. They
cannot act independently. Their sources of livelihood do not have variety and lack
entrepreneurship. These group of people become the victims of conflicts, hopelessness and
pessimism that reduces their capacity of coping with disasters.
1.4 Factors associated with the Vulnerable Child
1.4.1 Physical Factors
Health of a child is the real factor for overall growth and development. The wellness of
health depends on the complete functions of all parts of the body. The continuous unhealthy
condition leads to a child’s vulnerability. The child’s vulnerable condition arises out of many
physical factors such as physical capabilities or personal circumstances, age, disability,
cognitive or mental health difficulties. Children with physical disabilities are a very broad
group. They are varying capabilities with limited physical, intellectual, speech defects, sensory
impairments and various chronic conditions. The case for the specially-abled children
improved considerably over the last few decades but still they are neglected in comparison to
non-disabled peers. So, these group of children require more attention and care. Disability is
not the only factor which is responsible for child’s vulnerable condition. Mental health
difficulties are more common, particularly among children from low socio-economic
backgrounds. They are likely to develop more mental challenges than those from high socio-
economic backgrounds. Physical factors are highly responsible for creating the vulnerable
group.

1.4.2 Economic Factors
Economic condition of a family plays an important role in building confidence and
development of overall personality. Factors like parents with lower educational attainment and
few economic resources in the households can affect their ability to succeed in school. Children
with these backgrounds are a large and growing group. A child’s nurturing requires housing,
proper food for growth and development, cloth and other facilities for overall personality
development. Proper household and good food will directly promote better health, education
and also economic growth of the family. So, a good human being can be created if the economic
support and condition of the family is good.

1.4.3 Environmental Factors
Environment and health of an individual have a direct relationship. The environmental
pollution, land degradation, bio-diversity loss, ocean acidification have direct impact on human
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health. Climate change such as heatwaves, floods and storms have also direct impact on health.
Climate changes are the key determinants for agriculture and clean water, and ultimately it
might lead to a society with poverty, low-socio-economic condition and hunger-prone society.
It also directly affects generation creation as well as makes the vulnerable child prone to
diseases.

1.4.4 Social Factors
Society is one of the best platforms for overall growth of a child. A child is the most
innocent being and deserves the best chances in life, irrespective of their identity. Therefore,
they are the most vulnerable because of their age and are always at risk of exploitation, getting
abused, facing violence and suffering from neglect. There are many social factors - lack of
identity, lack of education, orphans, physical disabilities and lack of capabilities to defend
themselves. There is a huge gap between the rich family children and those living in poverty.
Children from economically-backward families, those living in the streets and abandoned
children at all stages of life are more prone to health problems like pneumonia, mal-nutrition
and childhood health problems. These children are the neglected part of the society who can
never achieve their dreams.

1.5 Major Issues
1.5.1 Nutrition
We all know today’s child is tomorrow’s future. A healthy child means the child with
healthy mind and body without disease. The healthy growth of a child starts from the mother’s
womb. Which means, the child’s healthy growth and development depends on the mother’s
diet. Negligence of diet during pregnancy leads to a child’s related growth, death and defective
formation of organs. Hence, a child’s health depends on good nutrition. A good nutritional
status can be achieved by providing a balanced diet. This is essential for proper functioning of
brain, development of brain and also helps in proper use of hand, leg and body parts. If the
body is deficient of one or more nutrients then it suffers from malnutrition. So, the early stage
of child’s growth and development requires proper selection of nutrients. There is a deep
relationship of health and nutrition.
An understanding of health is the basis of all health care and health-related problems.
Health means absence of disease. A healthy body and mind can be maintained through good
nutrition and healthy life. According to World Health Organisation, health is a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being not merely the absence of disease and infinity. In a nut
shell, health means:
 Absence of disease
 A complete physical, mental, social well-being
 Healthy body and mind
 Physical capacities of the body
 Harmonious function of organs
 Proper use of five senses -taste, smell, sight, touch and hearing
 Proper co-ordination of eye, hand and mind
 A stress-free mind with a happy life

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The physical well-being and a healthy life can be achieved through physical fitness, muscular
strength and absence of disease. The relationship of nutrition and health can be maintained
through:
 Proper balanced diet.
 Low-fat diet.
 Nutrient-rich diet.
 Cholesterol-free diet

Indication of Adequate Nutrition
A child’s health and nutritional status can be understood from many things associated
with the body. A child’s nutritional status can be understood by assessing the health condition
of the child, i.e., whether the child is having adequate nutrition on suffering from mal-nutrition
or under-nutrition. It can be understood from different indicators such as height, weight,
strength, working capacity and volume of blood. In the absence of adequate nutrition, normal
growth and development will be hampered. If an infant won’t get necessary nutrients from
food, then it leads to mal-nourished condition of health.
Nutritional problem arises when there is imbalance in diet. It leads to deficiency in nutrition,
under nutrition and over nutrition. These three conditions of nutrition creates health problem.
Let us have an idea about these three conditions which create major health issues of children.
 Deficiency of nutrition:
Deficiency of nutrition leads to malnutrition. It occurs when the body doesn’t
get appropriate quantity of nutrients as per the body’s requirement.
 Under nutrition:
Under nutrition arises when there is insufficient intake of energy-providing
food, body building food, protective and regulatory food to maintain good health.
 Over nutrition:
Over nutrition is also a form of malnutrition (imbalanced nutrition) over
nutrition leads to overweight or obesity condition of health.
Nutritional issues of child
A child’s growth and development depends on adequate nutrient-rich food in tune with
the age and body conditions. Lack of nutrition or deficiency of nutrients like carbohydrates,
proteins, vitamins, minerals and fats leads to the following health issues:
 Poor physical development
 Poor mental growth
 Poor intellectual ability
 Poor school performances
 Weak immune system (low ability to fight with disease)
 Easily infected by virus
 Ill health
 Reduced appetite
 Lack of interest in food and drinks
 Retarded growth
 Not putting on weight and not having a height as per age
 Change in behaviour
 Poor concentration
 Getting ill and taking a long time for recovery
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Malnourished condition leads to the following childhood health problems:
1- Childhood obesity and weight problems
It is caused by eating too much and lack of exercise. This results in weight gain and it also
leads to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cardio-vascular diseases. One should be
particular about the food stuff selected for the child’s diet.

2- Raising emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence means a flexible set of skills that can be acquired and improved with
preface. A child with a healthy body and mind has good emotional intelligence. If a child
will be given diet rich in nutrients, then the child’s intelligence will be developed.
Inadequate diet may lead to a weak brain. During the early period of childhood, the child
needs to be supplemented with adequate nutrient-rich food.
3- Fussy eaters
The child’s eating habit generally creates problem. Sometimes children are not
interested to take food. It’s a challenge for mothers how to feed their babies. Fussy
eating is characterised by an unwillingness to eat familiar foods or try new foods as
well as only one type of food preferences. The child’s food habit depends on his mood
and choice of food. This also leads to malnourished condition of health.

1.5.2 Child Labour
Child labour is one of the major issues of child vulnerability. Children who are deprived of
schooling, potential and childhood became the major group of vulnerable children. According
to International Labour Organisation (ILO), the term “Child Labour” is defined as work that
deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity and that is harmful to their
physical and mental development. It refers to work that is:
 Mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children.
 Interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school,
obliging them to leave school prematurely or requiring them to attempt to combine
school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.
Particular forms of work can be called child labour depending on the child’s age, the type of
work, hours of work performed and the conditions under which it is performed. The worst
forms of child labour is defined by Article 3 of ILO convention No 182:
 All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery such as the sale and trafficking of
children, debt bondage, serfdom and forced on compulsory labour, including forced on
compulsory re-equipment of children for use in armed conflict.
 The use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution for production of pornography
or for pornographic performances.
 The use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for production
and trafficking of drugs as defined in the international treaties.
 Work which by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out is likely to harm
the health, safety or morals of children.
The future of children who are victims of these activities is bleak. In most cases, life of such
children engaged in hazardous work becomes risky and prone to many health problems. In
simple terms, hazardous child labour means engagement of a child in hazardous work which is
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likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children. According to the Article 3 of ILO
recommendation No 190, child labour is one in which the
 Work exposes children to physical, psychological or sexual abuse.
 Work involves underground, under water, at dangerous heights or in confined spaces.
 Work with dangerous machinery, equipment and foods which involves manual
handling or transport of heavy loads.
 Work in an unhealthy environment which may expose children to hazardous
substances, agent or processes or to temperatures, noise levels or vibrations, causing
damaging to their health.
 Work under particularly difficult conditions such as work for long hours or during the
night or work where the child is unreasonably confined to the premises of the employer.
Going by global statistics, out of 160 million children 63 million girls and 97 million
boys are in child labour. In other words, out of 10 children one is engaged as child
labour. (Child Labour: Global Estimates 2020). This report also indicates that 72% of
all child labour and 83% child labour among children aged 5 to 11 years occurs within
families. Family-based child labour can be hazardous and is also likely to harm their
health, safety or morals. Whatever be the condition, child labour becomes a major
section of vulnerable group who are a part of social inequality, discrimination and
deprived from schooling and childhood. Especially for girls it’s a triple burden because
she has to perform household works also.
UNICEF estimates that India has the highest number of labourers in the world aged under
14 years. One has to learn how to eradicate or stop engaging children in different works.
UNICEF reported that cities provide more opportunity for work in comparison to rural
areas. A Campaign Against Child Labour study says approximately 12,66,6377 child
labourers are working in India. Children who are deprived of their livelihood and their
rights and education need to be protected by all stakeholders of the society. The reasons
behind creation of child labour force are low socio-economic status, poverty,
unemployment and illiteracy. Children are the future human resources of the country; so
the schools need to create an environment to control child labour through increased
awareness.
Categories of child labour
Children are engaged in different categories of work. They are specifically a separate
vulnerable group to be identified and given attention. The most difficult form of child labour
are:
 Slavery on similar types of work.
 Child trafficking.
 Forced recruitment into armed conflict.
 Prostitution and pornography
 Drug production and trafficking or other illegal acts.
 Debt bondage.
 Hazardous work that can cause injury or moral corruption.

Issues of child labourers
A child never wants to be a labourer. A child has become a child labourer due to
poverty, lack of education, illiteracy, financial condition of the family members,
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unemployment and over population. When a child is engaged in work to earn money, it
hampers the child physically and mentally and might even lead to death. The child is deprived
of heath care, schooling and restriction of fundamental rights.

Unethical issues related to child labour
Child labour is one of major issues and challenges of our society. Engaging children in
factories for long hours, bad treatment and poor payment have become a part of unethical
practices. Early childhood spent in dreadful working environment becomes the reason for
severe physical and emotional damage. They are deprived of education and health care.
According to National Institute of Health, child labourers generally suffer from the following
outcomes:
 Behavioural disorders.
 Malnutrition.
 Poor mental and physical growth.
 Infectious diseases.
Long working houses and forced work pressure leads to poor mental as well as the physical
health. Hence, business leaders, industrialists and other stakeholders of the society have to
be more careful while engaging children.

1.5.3 Child Abuse
Child abuse is defined as a variety of harmful behaviours directed against children. It
is causes psychological problems. It is not just physical violence but any form of maltreatment
by an adult. When the child is maltreated by anyone, then the child feels depressed, neglected
and also afraid to tell anyone about it. It may be in the form of physical, emotional or sexual
abuse. If a child is a victim of any form of abuse, then it can be identified by many signs on
symptoms such as unexplained facial injuries, injuries on forearms, burn mark on the skin, oral
or dental injuries, internal damage, vomiting, breathing difficulties, difficulty in walking or
sitting, brushing around genitals, discharge around the genitals and painful urination,
defecation. The maltreated child has faces health issues as well as behavioural issues.
The neglected child’s behaviour can easily be identified by observation. Poor hygiene,
improper clothing, lack of access to medical care, worsening medical conditions, poorly tended
wounds, hair loss, malnutrition and low weight, excessive crying, bedwetting, poor
concentration, development of phobias or fears, eating issues, speech difficulties and
discomfort are some of the signs of a neglected child who is either sexually abused, maltreated,
neglected or facing any form of physical abuse. Therefore, one has to be aware of the types of
abuse children generally face. Those are:
 Physical Abuse - Physical harm of a child by parents, caretakers and outsiders.
 Emotional Abuse - child is degraded, isolated, exploited, and rejected by the family
members, at schools and by the society.
 Sexual Abuse- Forceful participation of children in sexual acts, sexual assaults, rape
and fondling, etc.
 Neglect - Child is lacking with adequate food, clothing, shelter, clean living conditions,
affection, supervision, education or medical care.

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Issues Relating to Children

Issues Relating to Children

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