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.