When I wrote Healthier mothers and babies:Mommy stay with me , wasn’t bluffing .
Not about the abuse
Neither about the results of it.
The post traumatic stress , which often goes untreated.
The scary part ,I knew parents and babies , who were recovering from this very trauma.
Both parents doctors working for the Government .
They have a baby 3 years old.
Where will the baby stay ,when the parents leave for their work?
Mom has taken as many leaves as she could.
Grand parents did their best.
But they needed a solution .
Obviously day care was the answer .
A suitable one found.
Hefty amount paid.
But the child while going for day care threw a tantrum everyday.
She stopped eating properly.
Used to cry in her sleep.
Parents were worried .
But did they have another solution ?
Helpless parents .Traumatised child.
Life went on.
One fine day when the parents got off work quickly, they went to pick up their daughter before time .
On reaching the crèche they find the main door open.
Loud music blaring in the flat.
One child locked inside a room crying loudly .
Another room had a child crouched in a corner.
Crying.
Their daughter had her fingers inside her ear ,mouth pressed into the bedding of a cot ,crying inconsolably.
The next door neighbours, could be heard fighting loudly . The thin walls separating the two flats , couldn’t drown theit voices.
No sign of any guard ,caregiver ,owner .
The shocker ?
The parents did what they could .
Took the child and went home.
Did anybody stop them?
No.
Did they receive a phone call from the crèche, asking about the child?
The Navi Mumbai incident, is another horror story.
3 levels of horror !
1)There was a CCTV which caught the footage .
Still that nonhuman being, thrashed the little baby mercilessly .
A child unable to speak protest or complain .
The utter disregard for any karma.
What exactly is the problem ?
Is she mentally disturbed.
Obviously she is otherwise no sane human would beat up a baby
Is she a habitual criminal child abuser?
Obviously she is,
otherwise she would be scared of the CCTV.
Is she afraid of repercussions ?
Obviously not.
The owner doesn’t care after the money is paid.
No quality control.
No supervision.
The woman maybe a mother.
I wonder how much abuse her children have to withstand !
The people who are in the Government , the people who own the companies ,everyone has a mother.
But everyone forgets.
A mother who has to leave her child with strangers, does so with a specific belief.
The belief that the money she earns ,will be helpful for the child’s future.
Carrying a burden of guilt and a heavy heart ,she drops off the little one everyday.
Little knowing, that unscrupulous people take her money .Treat the child badly and unapologetically ask for tips.
Both me and my sister were raised in crèche.
Till class 4 .As far as I remember I was never treated badly.
There was one complaint my sister had.
The eggs or the fish my mom used to give her for lunch, never reached her plate.
She got only the curry with rice.
So except for food theft, not much lasting trauma.
More or less well-balanced adults.
When I started having day school.
It was a blessing
No more crèche.
A few solutions which we can pray for
#How the Government can help
Open crèche in all offices .
The mother will work happily . Less chance of sudden leave-taking, because of absentee maid.
Make CCTV footage from crèche, constantly available to the mom.
Private companies same advice.
Plus work from home opportunities, in both sector, till child starts full day school .
After all having an ayah at home with the child is also hardly full proof.
A horror story of an infant being injected sedatives ,while the ayah locked up the home everyday had made me sleepless.
Children are our future .
A society which doesn’t think about the plight of its children and mothers ,loses its humanity.
Loses its chance to be really great.
Just because children have no voice ,no representation in the Government , doesn’t mean they don’t have rights.
If we give birth it’s after a lot of pain.
It’s time now to take up more pain.
As mothers we have to be the voice of these children.
As bloggers we have to be the voice of these working moms.
Are you ready to be guilty of tolerating child abuse ?
Or are you going to do something about it.
Comment below to let me know .
Day 30 #NaBloPoMo
Linking up with #mg