Dr Asangba Tzudir
The recent incident of sexual abuse on a ‘minor’ has once again exposed a painful reality that society can no longer afford to ignore. While rape or sexual exploitation of any child is a horrific crime, cases involving children living away from their families as domestic help reveal an even deeper vulnerability. These incidents compel us to ask a necessary question: should minor children continue to live in other people's homes as ‘domestic help’, even when such arrangements are often justified as an ‘opportunity’ for education and a better future?
Children are among the most vulnerable members of a society. They depend on adults for protection, care, and guidance. When a child is sexually abused, it is not simply a violation of law but a betrayal of trust, dignity, and humanity itself. The trauma can leave lifelong emotional, psychological, and social scars. This is one thing which no child should ever have to bear the consequences of an adult's cruelty.
In Nagaland, it is not uncommon for children from economically disadvantaged families to be sent to towns and cities to live with relatives, acquaintances, or employers, and whereby in many cases, these ‘arrangements’ are made with good intentions. Some families hope their children will gain access to better education, healthcare, and opportunities. Indeed, there are households where children are treated with care, enrolled in schools, and given a supportive environment. It would therefore be unfair to paint every such arrangement with the same brush.
However, good intentions cannot blind us of the risks. When children live away from their parents and guardians, they often become dependent on adults who exercise significant control over their daily lives. Such dependence can create conditions where abuse remains hidden. Fear, isolation, and power imbalance frequently prevent victims from speaking out. When abuse occurs behind closed doors, detection becomes difficult and justice often comes too late. The question, therefore, is not simply whether all domestic arrangements should be prohibited, but whether society can continue to tolerate a system that leaves children so vulnerable. The safety and well-being of the child must always take precedence over convenience, practice, or economic necessity.
The way forward requires a balanced and child-centred approach. First of all, minor children should never be employed as domestic workers. Existing child protection laws must be strictly enforced. However, while Justice may be thought to be delivered it is not enough to put the perpetrators behind bars. It is not, not until the safety and well-being of child minors are ensured, we cannot say that justice is delivered. Further, where children live away from their families for educational purposes, there should be proper registration including a guardian, monitoring, and periodic welfare checks by child protection authorities and community institutions. Then, Churches, village councils, civil society organizations, and educational institutions must work together to create mechanisms through which children can safely report abuse without any fear whatsoever. Equally important is the need to strengthen quality education delivery and educational access within rural communities so that families are not compelled to send young children away in search of opportunities.
Most importantly, society must reject the culture of silence. Families, communities, and institutions that ignore or conceal abuse become part of the problem. Silence protects perpetrators, not children. However, the response also should go beyond condemnations in paper. Paper condemnations do not contribute towards creating a movement, a movement that calls for safety, security and well-being of every children.
A civilized society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members. Nagaland must ensure that every child grows up in safety, dignity, and hope. To this end community must come together and build support systems so that when children are at risk, one should not stay silent; where there is vulnerability, there must be protection, and where there is abuse, the call should be for justice.
(Dr Asangba Tzudir writes guest editorials for The Mo rung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
