Forcing children to attend events is gross human rights violation

In one incident, girl children at pre-puberty stage were left bare-bodied in the company of a temple priest. In yet another instance, when the former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was sick, children were made to pierce their cheeks with two metre steel rods and make offerings to God, for her speedy recovery. In yet another instance for the well-being of Jayalalitha, school children were made to walk from a temple in RK Nagar to another one at Tondiarpet. The children were also made to wear caps with slogans, ‘Long live Amma, etc’. Thus it is clear that the children are being used / abused and made to suffer inhuman treatments by even their parents, for the so-called larger good. 

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), taking cognisance of the human rights violations committed on the children, had issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, to submit within four weeks’ time, the steps taken to stop such rituals. It is learnt that the Commissioner of Police of Greater Chennai has admitted that such practices do occur. He says that children’s parents have given consent. The children have taken part voluntarily and the policemen on duty have now been warned that they should not allow such acts hereafter. The NHRC has in fact directed the Additional Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, North Chennai to register a case under sections 326, 341, 120B IPC and Section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) against those who were responsible for piercing the children’s cheeks with steel rods. 

Even as parents are ignorantly subjecting their children to human rights violations, the State is indulging in greater violations by forcing the children to be present and participate in its activities for its show of strength. School children from the government and private schools have been routinely used to adorn the various functions / ceremonies organised by the ruling party. The most recent mobilisation of school children for the Centenary Celebrations of MG Ramachandran (MGR), has met with rightful resistance from the Madras High Court. Responding to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by A Narayanan of Change India, a division bench of Justices S Vaidyanathan and R Subramanian, passed an order directing the State Chief Secretary, School Education Secretary and the Director General of Police to not take the children to any event organised as part of the birth centenary celebrations of the late Chief Minister MGR. 

Children have no choice when they are compelled to attend these functions. Yet, it is alleged they are participating in these functions / ceremonies voluntarily. Neither the State, including the private players in the field of education, nor the parents or relatives have any concern for the welfare of the children, when they expose their wards to such bizarre practices or functions. Children are used for the various activities to promote the interests of the adults, in whose ward the children are placed. Such gross abuse of children have to be done away with. 

The direction of the NHRC in suo-motu taking up the issue of abuse of children and the order of the Madras High Court are steps in the right direction. It must lead to an introspection about exposing children to such archaic customs or deployed for functions to promote the ruling party’s interests.