Amartya Sen on Indian Child Labour and Gender In-Equality

Although India has witnessed social progress, serious challenges still remain - including the most important one of child deprivation, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen said here Tuesday.

Speaking at a lecture on Child and Human Rights, Sen said: "There has been social progress in India but some serious problems still face the country - the most important among them being child deprivation and under-nourishment."

"There have been numerous programmes for the undernourished children but they have failed to create an impact. This disturbing picture needs rapid remedy," the renowned economist said while launching the Indian Journal of Human Development by the Institute for Human Development.

"Under-nourishment and lack of medical assistance have enhanced this growing problem (child deprivation). Thus we have to look forward to a broader framework to address deprivation of Indian children," he added.

He stressed that human rights activists needed to address children's deprivation in particular.

"Incorporating a legal system has certainly helped human rights. The idea of human rights can be used in other ways. The legislature can help to promote an ethical way of human life. The Supreme Court of India can help promote this as they have in the past," Sen said.

Referring to the issue of gender inequality and resulting child under-nourishment, he said: "Gender inequality casts a shadow on child under-nourishment right from the time the child is in the womb. And an undernourished child always has the propensity to cardio-vascular diseases."

Touching upon female foeticide, he said such cases were decreasing elsewhere in the world but rising alarmingly in India and it needed to be seriously addressed.