Effect of Social Media in Protecting the Rights of the Children
When a child is born everyone is elated and cheerful, but the birth of a child also gives birth to preconceived notions. A doctor’s child is expected to be a doctor, a well off person’s kid is expected to be well off all their lives & there are many such instances in this regard. But what happens to the kids who do not even get the basic facility of being born in a hospital? Does the happiness remain the same when a child is born in a family which is failing to make ends meet? Unfortunately, we all know the answers to these questions.
Sometimes I wish everyone started from the same point and everything was driven by merit. I wish the huge disparity of income where a person spends millions on a bag whereas another person cannot even buy his next meal, was not present. But unfortunately it is present and if it were not so, I wouldn’t be here writing an article on my laptop sitting in one of the premier B-Schools in the country. I understand the fact that everyone cannot have the same quality of life. It’s obvious that a person who works hard and is sincere will always have a better lifestyle than a person who doesn’t. What I fail to understand is how we as humans fail to consider that everyone deserves some fundamental rights and at the end of the day, its humanity which should prevail.
I have heard children are like wet cement, whatever falls on them makes an impression. One has to be very careful when it comes to dealing with children as the things they see in their childhood, stay in their memories forever. We need to understand that all children irrespective of their caste, sex, religion or financial status should have the right to development, participation & protection.
I know a lot of people reading this article would think right now that it’s very easy to point out the problems, indeed it is, but I am not the sort of person that cries about things but does nothing. I believing in taking initiative for changing things and making a difference. This brings me to social media. An American author rightly said, “The power of social media is that it forces necessary change”. Change and spreading awareness has a whole new dimension now, thanks to the advent of social media. People can now connect to millions of people just by making a few clicks. This is what we need to cash in on. This is our platform where we can raise our voice against injustice and make a difference by creating awareness.
The children of this world are the future of humanity, they are the ones who would take mankind forward. It’s time we start giving children their fair share of opportunities. Take a stand, if you see injustice or children being oppressed, raise your voice and post it on social media. The use of social media should not only be restricted to negative things but can also be used in a positive light. There are places where people treat everyone equally, everything is driven by merit. These places and people can be a source of inspiration for millions of people and would, in turn, serve the purpose of protecting children rights.
One of the major culprits when it comes to oppression of children rights is child labor. Children are stuck earning for their families which lead to the violation of the basic right of education for every child. Social media has helped tremendously to minimize this problem. Various social media campaigns have been organized for creating awareness as well as for boycotting companies which take the help of child labor to produce their goods. Negative publicity is something every brand in today’s generation is scared of. This is one of the major advantages any social media campaign enjoys & this is what NGO’s and individuals wanting to help people should cash in on.
In today’s world, we don’t have a choice on whether we use social media, the question is how well we do it. No one can deny the power and impact of social media, it is a form of people-powered communication, which if utilized properly can do wonders not only in the field of child rights but also to create social awareness on various aspects for the public good. Now I would like to end this article with an appeal to everyone, let’s raise children who won’t have to recover from their childhood.
The author Rishi Agarwal is a PGPB-6 candidate at MISB Bocconi and a core committee member of The Social Club. He is a big SRK fan, a kid at heart and his heart goes out to all the kids in the world. Expect a lot more from this talented guy in the near future and keep up with Rishi & his fellow social club members on our FB page.
No comments:
Post a Comment