The little girl begged. I looked at her – ragged clothes, her puny hands holding a basket filled with locally made hairclips and rubber bands in hopes of selling them.[break]
She seemed about seven or eight years old, was speaking fluent English though she was a Cambodian native, and was well aware of capitalizing on sympathy so that she could earn a few bucks.
“Why aren’t you in school?” I asked her. She told me she studied in the mornings because her parents needed her to work during the day.
This girl seemed to know so much about hardship and struggle and “life” that I was left dumbfounded. It wasn’t fair that she had to sacrifice her childhood in order to contribute to her family’s earnings.
This little girl, and many other girls and boys like her, would perhaps not know of a life where she’s free to play with her friends, where she has toys and books to fuel her creativity, where she’s a kid and nothing’s expected of her – a life where she rightfully enjoys the liberty of being a child.
I looked at her face and she looked back at me expectantly for some money. It seemed that money was the only thing that had been drilled into her: You need money to survive.
While this is very true, it hardly seems fair that people have to learn this lesson at such a tender age. But the harsh reality remains that such is the case in most of the Third World.
Illustration: Sworup Nhasiju
Worlds away in India, a similar situation came before me. A boy of around eleven asked me to buy a postcard so that he could put the little money he made towards his studies. He followed me around, showing me postcard after postcard with all things encompassing “Incredible India” as he tapped at my shoulder, “Didi, lelo na.” Again, the only thing on his mind was making money.
Of course, what I’m describing here isn’t at all surprising to most of us in Nepal for we witness these young humans begging for a few Rupiyas all the time in our streets.
This kind of thing would perhaps shock someone who never knew such a thing existed, but those of us from Nepal know only too well some of the wretchedness that our country people face.
We have all heard heart-wrenching stories and the tired arguments that come with the stories. So then why am I writing down about what is so obvious?
It’s because I want to call to attention two things here: First, that little kids are being deprived of their childhood; second, this sight or issue has become so normal to most our eyes that very often we are apathetic towards all this.
In spite of the numerous organizations working for the welfare of these children the world over, there’s still a need to double our efforts and renew our vigor when it comes to securing a better future for these kids. And while it’s acknowledged that things won’t change overnight and perhaps there are only so many things we can do about it, it never hurts to be aware and informed.
The little girl selling her goods in Cambodia or the boy selling his postcards in India cling to an undying and relentless hope that someday they won’t have to toil away their childhood. Is this too much to ask?
We all know it isn’t. But then, why is it that we forget that such a world exists? I wonder. For me, too, I often get caught up with the plight of these children as long as they are in front of me, and then as soon as I’m away from it all, I undergo something called “Out of sight, out of mind.”
There might not be much we can do, but surely we can afford to remind ourselves that such conditions do exist, and someday, if we ever have the chance to do something about it, we won’t hesitate and back down – we won’t see kids on the streets as pests.
But very often, this is how we choose to see them. And it becomes especially difficult to tune into the humanists inside us when these very kids engage in abhorrent behavior: a group of my friends were chased by a gang of such kids armed with sharp glasses all because my friends wouldn’t give them money.
Experiences such as these make us want to be oblivious to the obvious and pretend that all these street children, child labor, and in some cases, child soldiers are normal. But then, let’s not forget that things may have been normalized but surely aren’t normal.
All I’m saying is let’s not forget that most kids are growing up without childhood and most of us couldn’t care less. Of course, I’m not asking that we stop living our lives and go become superheroes and take on all the problems of the world. But I’m asking that we remember that it’s an unfair world that we live in, and so let’s work towards making it an acceptable one wherein everyone has a childhood.
The writer is a student of Political Science at Thammasat University who enjoys exploring life and all that it has to offer.
Related story
Probe commission files case against 55 loan sharks
