A crying child in day care asks for affection, not scolding. He needs a voice, a gentle touch, a lap, a toy or even a song. The news from Bengaluru broke this trust. According to reports, video of a daycare at Capgemini’s Brookfield campus showed cruelties including children as young as two being locked in a bathroom and doused with toilet jets. A case was registered against five caregivers and now the center has been closed. This did not happen in an unregulated crèche, but in a corporate campus in the tech capital of India. Such centers assure the parents that the child is safe, now you do the work. That trust was broken. This case raises the question who is paying the price when parents work? For the urban middle class, the income of both parents has now become a necessity, not a luxury. Housing, schools, health, domestic help, insurance, EMIs have put families under pressure. Women’s work is also linked to their dignity, freedom and progress. Many women leave their jobs if they do not have reliable childcare. Therefore, crèches are necessary, but safe crèches are more important. When parents work long hours, a child’s day is divided between daycare, nannies, screens, activity classes, and tired parents. Without time, love becomes an arrangement. Without presence, affection becomes management. Parenting becomes a weekend job. But children need parents. They need food, bedtime story, answers to questions, quiet environment and safe sleep without mobile phones. Childhood does not wait before school. This is the time when the body, brain and emotions develop rapidly. UNICEF considers this a critical period of nutrition, protection, early learning and sensitive care. WHO and UNICEF emphasize on the first 1000 days. According to NFHS-6, 29.3% children under five years of age are suffering from stunting, 19% wasting and 31.8% underweight. Along with food, the child also grows through touch, language and trust. In the last few decades, many countries have recognized that childcare is not a private arrangement but a social structure. UNICEF looks at childcare and parental leave together, because children need care and adults need work-life balance. Care is not only the mother’s responsibility, but a shared responsibility of parents and society. The model of both parents working is increasing in India, but a system has not been made to make it humane. We have technology parks, but childcare regulation is weak. There are long travel hours, but limited flexible working. Domestic workers take care of children while their own children remain unprotected. We buy expensive education courses but give less time to our children. The solutions are also clear. Every crèche and day-care must be registered, inspected and audited. Caregivers should receive good pay, training, and supervision. They should be taught child development, safe behavior and non-violent discipline. Employers should consider childcare a responsibility, not a convenience. Flexible working hours, fixed hours, hybrid options and parental leave provide parents with the tools they need to support their children. After all, it is a question of shaping life according to the safety and emotional needs of the children. (These are the author’s own views)
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Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya’s Column: Who takes care of the children when the parents go to work?
