A competent and first-of-its-kind citizen's report on the state of the nation's children.

CHILDREN IN GLOBALISING INDIA: CHALLENGING OUR CONSCIENCEBY EDITED BY ENAKSHI GANGULY THUKRAL HAQ: CENTRE FOR CHILD RIGHTS PAGES: 363; RS 400

Indians love children. We have about 400 million of them. Families aren’t considered complete without kids. Women unable to bear children are declared barren. Ironically though, ours is neither a child-friendly, let alone a child-centric society. Deprivation, violence and gender discrimination stunt childhood. Gaps in the law, health and education policies claim child victims. Privatisation in these times of the global economy has cut government expenditure in social sectors (like food), adding to their vulnerability.

It is this understanding that’s at the heart of Children in Globalising India. With a sensitive and admirable situational analysis, the volume is a competent and first-of-its-kind citizen’s report on the state of the nation’s children. Perspective pieces by experts, lists of laws, national commitments and statistics galore address various aspects of the living conditions of children today. It raises pertinent questions like what is the level of India’s commitment towards her children? How many died during the Gujarat earthquake in 2000? The underlying argument convinces—kids aren’t just our future, they’re also our present. We ignore them at our own cost.

Source: Outlook India