Children’s exploitation continues despite laws

Nearly 3,000 children die every day across the country due to malnutrition, according to a report on the situation of vulnerable children from India, released by Plan India, an independent child development organisation.

About 23 million children in India are malnourished, 18 million children are living and working on the urban streets, while 4.3 million children are employed as child labourers and 40% of the 3 million sex workers are minors in India.

India also has its own critical problem of child marriages. In Rajasthan, 57.6% of women are married off before they reach the age of 18 years and this is the highest in the country, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 54.9% and Madhya Pradesh at 30%.

While the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act is in place, and the government does prosecute offenders under this Act from time to time, all things considered much more needs to be done to ensure a childhood to every child in India.