The children we neglect: A global crisis of abuse and Abandonment

Many African children are fatherless and motherless.

Children are assets to national development in every part of the world. They are considered future leaders, and for this reason, they need care, support, and education throughout their growth and development.

However, it is heartbreaking to see children, especially in many Third World countries, roaming the streets as if they were dropped from nowhere simply to increase the population of their nation. These children are often left without guidance, protection, or hope.

Today, children are frequently subjected to ridicule, humiliation, and mental torture. Poverty drives some parents to treat their children with cruelty, to the extent that an estimated sixty‑five percent of children in poverty‑stricken countries are forced into prostitution, crime, and child labor—clear violations of their fundamental rights.

In parts of Asia, children work in migrant labor camps for miserable wages. Some are forced by their parents into slavery to repay debts. Young children who attempt to escape harsh treatment are often sent back with threats, raising the painful question: why are some parents so cruel to their own children?

In advanced countries like the United States, it is estimated that one million children are abused each year. The suicide rate among 15‑ to 24‑year‑olds has risen steadily over the past two decades, revealing deep emotional and psychological suffering.

In Brazil, children playing or sleeping on the streets are sometimes “sprayed” with bullets by gang child assassins in what they call “Street Cleansing". This horrifying reality shows how vulnerable children are when society fails to protect them.

If parents are not ready to take responsibility for their children, why bring them into the world only to expose them to danger, abuse, and unhealthy living conditions? The lower the level of care, the more likely children are to be killed, abandoned, beaten, terrorized, or sexually abused.

Unfortunately, thousands of children who should be in school are instead on the streets because of poverty. We must not neglect the children. Our society needs change, in our minds, our feelings, and in our systems of work, law, education, and politics.

We urgently need to see clearly, articulate precisely, and, above all, act boldly on issues affecting children. Their future depends on the choices we make today.

Save The Children: Joel Savage’s poem on suffering, hope, and humanity

A realistic image showing vulnerable children affected by war, poverty, and neglect, symbolizing the themes of Joel Savage’s poem “Save The Children.”

A powerful humanitarian poem by Joel Savage, highlighting children’s suffering from war, poverty, and neglect, and urging the world to protect and uplift them.

The poem was selected by the International Library of Poetry through Poetry.com and published in the anthology Tracing the Infinite.

Copyright@2004 by the International Library of Poetry as a compilation.

SAVE THE CHILDREN

Deep in my sleep, I could hear the children crying.

On the streets, I could see them begging.

On the desert, I could see them thirsty, fighting to survive.

Why do parents bring them into the world to suffer?

Let's save the children. They are more precious than diamonds.

Let's save the children.


Deep in my spirit, I feel restless. I could hear the children wailing.

They are looking for their parents killed in wars and ethnic conflicts.

Down in my soul, I feel miserable. I see desperate children eating from the trash.

Some turn to junkies and juvenile criminals because of neglect.

Let's save the children. They are assets to national development.

Save the children. Don't neglect them. @

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