At what cost are we giving out the rupee?

Few years back, my mom had told me about this incident she had heard from someone. This dates quite some time back, so I was unable to vet this incident, but I do believe it might be true. The incident she narrated goes like this:

A very renowned eye surgeon was travelling, when a mother with a child crying uncontrollably in her arms was begging for money for her child's food. She claimed it was for her blindfolded child's education. When the doctor was confronted by the lady, the doctor offered to help her child with his expertise on the subject. When he started to take off the blindfold from the child's eyes and as soon as she became aware about the doctor's profession, she started to back off and run. However, when she was nabbed by few surrounding onlookers and the blindfold was removed. To their horror, in  it were bugs that was burrowing on the eyes of the baby that would eventually make it blind. It was for this pain that the child was crying uncontrollably. It was later found out that the child was not of that lady after all. The child was a mere tool used for earning more money.

I had almost forgotten about this heart throbbing incident and had never formed my opinion on this issue then.  I  was only of sympathy for the children. This was not long back , but the movie Slumdog Millionaire, made me more empathetic and dragged me to draw a very strong opinion on the issue. I am sure many of you have watched that particular scene I am referring to in this movie. It is the dreadful scene when some sort of acid is put in Jamal's friend's eyes that makes him blind. I am sure you will agree with me that we were very much relieved when the scene ended and much more when we were sure that the scene won't repeat again. This shook me, maybe because it seemed to be shown to me as if it were true. I could not take this scene out of my mind even if I tried to convince myself that it was just a part of the movie. So, I decided I would research a little, to find out if there was really an issue persisting in the society. The statistics shook me. Here are a few of them, which has been quoted from various sources like the Wikipedia and other external links :

Children, over adults are often chosen to be trafficked for illegal activities such as begging and organ trade, as they are seen as more vulnerable. Not only are these children being forced to beg for money, but a significant number of those on the streets have had limbs forcibly amputated, or even acid poured into their eyes to blind them by gang masters. Those who are injured tend to make more money, which is why they are often abused in this way. Every year, 44,000 children fall into the clutches of the gangs . According to the US State Department, there are approximately 600,000 to 820,000 people trafficked a year across international borders, and up to 50% of those are children. Yearly 40,000 children are abducted every year of which 11000 remain untraced according to a report by the National Human Rights Commission of India.

In 2005, a study was conducted by the National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC) after they received an alarming number of reports from the press, police, and non-government organizations (NGOs) about the rise of human trafficking within India.  The areas of the greatest concern were poverty stricken areas such as Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, [more in Karnataka], Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa and West Bengal. There is an estimated 3,00,000 child beggars in India

These statistics clearly highlight the issue for us. On reading this, I have taken my firm stand. I have spoken on this to as many people as possible in my friend circle. So, let me provide you with my perception - 

First of all, why do people give alms to poor. I could jot down these following reasons :

• May be out of concern and pity
• A thought that the rupee we give means a lot more to that kid than it means to us
• And probably because we don’t want to be tagged as 'insensitive'

 Next,  let me give you reasons why you should not give money to the poor:

• The money you give is encouraging the children to stay out of school
• It is encouraging the parents to make their children beg on roads
• It is going to make the children lazy, mind you, we are talking about children     here, the future of our nation
• Most important of all are the facts stated by me above. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, as many as  one child just disappear overnight in every eight minutes. Such children are forced to give up any of their organ or they are generally deformed maybe by blinding them permanently or forcibly amputating their limbs or scaring them, so that they can gain the pity of the onlookers and thereby earn an extra shilling. It is a well established tactic the gangs believe in that the more disfigured the child looks, the more is the ability to earn. The children are kept in unhealthy environment, provided food just to keep them alive, shooed to beg in the morning, robbed of all their earnings in the evening.

Is this what we are donating for ?

I am not saying do not donate, please donate...Please donate, but through a right channel. Donate to an NGO that would reach out to the deprived. You can alternatively take them to a restaurant and feed them stomach full. That would probably be the most luckiest day for the kids. Please make your philanthropic attitude positively contributing.

I am offering these alternatives with the understanding of the repercussion it causes to the begging children. I agree that it would not be easy on the those kids. Surely they will suffer if they don’t take back money to their gang leaders. If not the gangs the children are working under, it would be very cumbersome for the families which depend on these kids to get their basic necessities .But what we are trying is to stop here is the manslaughter of millions of further children into this child trafficking. As we discuss this issue now, there would be several lakhs of kids suffering this menace.

But, I have made my decision - that I am not ready to bring darkness to the lives of so many children arising because of my so-called an act of kindness. Is our good intention really worth it - is the smile on the child’s face really coming from within?  At what cost are we giving out the rupee - Its decision time..!