Mendacity vs Truth in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Tennessee Williams’ book Cat on a Hot Tin Roof takes place entirely in the plantation home of the Pollitt family in the Mississippi Delta. The plantation once belonged to a pair of bachelors, and â€Å"Big Daddy† Pollitt had worked for them as an overseer, but he is now the owner of the plantation, which he has built into a dynastic empire. Big Daddy’s family has met at the house to celebrate his birthday. Maggie, a beautiful and witty girl, has escaped a childhood of poverty to marry into the wealthy Pollitt family, but finds herself in an unfulfilling marriage. She is married to Big Daddy’s son, Brick. He is an aging football hero, and constantly neglects his wife. Brick further infuriates her by ignoring his brother's attempts to gain control of the family fortune once Big Daddy passes away. Brick's coldness towards Maggie and his alcoholism can be attributed to the death of his best friend, Skipper. Big Daddy has been feeling a bit under the weather, and what he believes is a spastic colon ends up being a form of cancer. Big Daddy is unaware that of his illness and that he doesn’t have much time left to live, so his doctors and his family have conspired to keep this information from him. The web of lies that is spun throughout this book is huge, spanning nearly every member of the family. Big Daddy comments on it towards the end of the book after he is told the truth by Brick, as he questions â€Å"What’s that smell in the room? Didn’t you notice the powerful and obnoxious odor of mendacity? † According to Big Daddy, â€Å"Mendacity is one of them five-dollar words that cheap politicians throw back and forth at each other. The dictionary definition tells us that mendacity is a falsehood, a lie, or a tendency to be untruthful. Mendacity is seen throughout the play and is a negative effect on the characters. All the characters are affected, but some are impacted more than others. Those greatly affected are Brick, Maggie, Big Daddy, and Gooper. The whole â€Å"lie vs. truths† plays a crucial role in developing the storyline and plot structure of the novel. As I previously mentioned, Brick was always very cold towards Maggie, elling at her and even attempting to hit her with his crutch. The very fact that Brick uses a crutch to walk is symbolic, in that the alcohol was his crutch to deal with Skipper's death. Skipper and Brick have a great friendship, and it can almost be viewed as homosexual. The fact that Skipper killed himself the night after he played in a football game without Brick and had many fumbles and played very poorly overall. Maggie states that â€Å"it was only Skipper that harbored even any unconscious desire for anything not perfectly pure between you too! (Williams, 833) Brick believes Maggie is the reason that Skipper killed himself, because she was ruining their friendship. Brick mourns his love for Skipper, which was the only true and good thing in his life. Maggie never dares speak of the forbidden love, and therefore Big Daddy is forced to step in as the judge. When Big Daddy confronts Brick about the homosexual attraction between himself and Skipper, Brick becomes extremely defensive and explains how their friendship was nothing more than a pure and true friendship. Big Daddy presses the issue, and Brick can no longer lie about the cause of Skipper’s death. It is then revealed at the climax of the book that before Skipper took his own life, he called Brick long distance and drunkenly confessed his love to him, finally removing the weight of the lie that was Skipper’s life, pretending that him and Brick were heterosexual friends. Brick however, didn’t say a word, and just hung up. This ended up being the last time Brick ever heard Skipper’s voice, and because of this, Brick drinks heavily to deal with the pain of taking his best friends life. This moment in the book is very impactful for it is one of the only times that mendacity isn’t in the air, as Brick and Big Daddy are being real with each other, with no veil of lies to hide behind, perfectly put as Big Daddy says, â€Å"then there is at least two people that never lied to each other. † The big deception throughout the play is that of Big Daddy’s health. The entire family and the Doctor are all in on this, and each person becomes split into 2 or 3 individuals because of all the deceit. Big Daddy’s other son Gooper and his wife Mae are both guilty of mendacity. To Big Daddy and Big Momma’s faces, they put on the guise as loving people, when in fact it is all an attempt to get Big Daddy to sign over the land and money to them in his will. They constantly bring up that they have children while Maggie and Brick don’t, and that Brick is an alcoholic. Basically pointing out all the flaws of their â€Å"competition† to try and better themselves in Big Daddy’s eyes. Big Mama lies to herself by thinking that a child from Maggie and Brick would turn Brick into a non-drinking, family man qualified to take over the family place. Big Mama had to have been distraught by the fact that her husband has less than a year left to live, and is being lied to by his entire family, talking on how he will live forever and people toasting to his health. Big Daddy is even wrapped up in the mendacity, as he admits to Brick during their heart-to-heart that everyday of his life is consumed with lies, as he pretends to like Gooper and Mae, but when in reality, he cannot stand them. Big Daddy never loved Gooper, but only desired for him to be successful and have a family. Gooper, in attempt to gain Big Daddy's love, he always did what he thought Big Daddy would have wanted for him, like having children and becoming a lawyer. The two never talk about their lack of relationship, as Gooper only tries to win Big Daddy's love, but Big Daddy never listens to him. Therefore because of this mendacity Gooper does not care about Big Daddy's affection, as I previously mentioned, his main intention is to inherit his land. Their relationship is filled with lies because they never talk about their lack of a relationship, which makes the relationship worse. One of the most important relationships in the book is that of Brick and Maggie. Throughout the entire novel, their conversations are mostly them fighting with each other, and it seems they are a married couple, in name only. Their relationship is based on lies and filled with mendacity, which tears them apart. Maggie lies to Brick and tells him that she and Skipper had an affair, because she was afraid that he was going to steal her husband away. The aforementioned homosexual love affair between Brick and Skipper caused a great deal of turmoil throughout the house. The biggest lie in the entire book comes at the very end of the novel, in which Maggie proclaims to Big Daddy that she is pregnant with Brick’s child. Big Daddy is overjoyed by this news, and decides to put Brick down as the sole beneficiary to the land. The final scene involves Maggie and Brick in the bedroom, with Maggie locking the door and telling Brick that tonight they were going to â€Å"make the lie true. † The false reality that Maggie created by lying will soon to come to fruition and all will be good in the Pollitt household. Brick ends the play by responding to Maggie’s profession of love with â€Å"Wouldn’t it be funny if that were true†¦? † Although Brick sounds confused at her words, but he may simply be assuming that because he had been indifferent towards her, she must also be that way towards him. The lies and mendacity of the entire Pollitt family nearly tear the very structure of their being apart, but in the end, the lies end up creating a better reality, one in that Brick and Big Daddy have come to terms with each other, and Maggie the Cat is finally going to be a mother (assuming her and Brick went through with the sexual conception. Mendacity has caused the Maggie to become much more than just a cat on a hot tin roof, she is now the sole light in Big Daddy’s life, for he’s long awaited for grandchild is finally on the way, and the rekindling of her and Brick’s relationship ends the book on a feel good note. It’s somewhat ironic that after all the pain and suffering caused by the lies, that the happy ending is a product of the biggest lie of them all.

Hazel

Where did the ritual take place? Villa Maria College Chapel, Christopher, New Zealand 2. Why did you choose this location? I went to school at Villa Maria College and I had an affiliation with the location. I liked the quaint, small size of the chapel where the guests felt closeness to the wedding ritual. I chose a Catholic chapel due to Roman Catholic being my religion. 3. What symbols were used in the ritual? What significance did they have? Rings- Symbolism our everlasting love that we bound as one, wedding dress- white homebodies my purity and is a tradition. . How were these symbols Important In the ritual for you? The rings symbolized for me our love and commitment for the rest of our lives, they were important as we picked them together. The wedding dress was special to me as it was white, it made me feel beautiful and it was traditional. I chose a traditional wedding dress, as it is apart of the Christian ritual. 5. What was the purpose of the ritual for you? Because for us, It was a commitment for the rest of our lives and It meant that we would raise children In the Catholic community. It also expressed our everlasting love for each other. 6.In your opinion, what was the climax of the ritual? When we said our vows and exchanged rings. 7. Did you have to do anything Involved with the ritual before the ceremony? Engagement, apply for a certificate of marriage, planning the ceremony. 8. Did you have to anything involved with the ritual after the ceremony? Honeymoon. 9. Which parts of the ritual were most special to you? The exchanging of rings and vows was most Important to me. Also, In the ceremony my mother sung, â€Å"Love changes everything† by Michael Crawford because It was meeting that she loves to do and it was special as it played an important part of the ceremony. 0. How did the ritual change you as a person? I changed my social status and there felt a real deference between living together 1 1 . Who attended the ritual? The wedding part y, family and close friends. 12. What roles did the participants play? My mother sung as said previously and my mother in law and close friend said a reading at the ceremony. My close friend was a bridesmaid and my brother in law was the best man. My nieces were flower girls and nephew was ring bearer. 13. How was the community involved in the ritual?The Villa Maria College nuns that lived next to the chapel, helped to prepare the chapel for the ceremony. 14. What features in the ritual displayed your religion? The bible where the readings were from, the prayers of the faithful and the hymns. One reading I chose was Corinthians 13: 4-7 as it displays what real love is like. ORAL Good morning, my name is Hazel Faulkner and today I will discuss a rite of passage, marriage, from the variant Roman Catholic. A ritual is a ceremony that involves different actions, symbols and writings which are performed according to a set order.Rituals are apart of everyday life and can even be as simple as a morning routine. Religious rituals are important as they help adherents connect with their deity. A rite of passage is a ceremony or event that marks a change or transition in someone's life from one phase to another. They include birth, adolescence, marriage and death. Over the years, scholars of religion have provided ways to analyses rituals. For example, Arnold Van Genes argued that a rite of passage involves three stages: pre-lamina, lamina and post-lamina. Sacred refers to the adherent being connected o or dedicated to their deity.Profane or secular is the opposite of sacred, it means something or someone is not concerned with religion. Marriage is a rite of passage and getting married is an important part of Christians lives. Marriage is a life long commitment between husband and wife made in the presence of God. Catholics generally have a Nuptial Mass which involves Eucharist and takes place in a church. The transition in marriage is being single to becoming one with y our bride or groom. Catholic marriage fits most appropriately into Van Genie's model and Love's five-step approach.The difference between a marriage and a wedding is that the marriage is the life long commitment where as a wedding For the investigation of a Catholic marriage the interviewee was my mother, Sue Faulkner. Her role in the rite of passage was the bride. Some of the questions asked were where did the ritual take place, what symbols were used, what significance did they have and what was the climax of the ritual. The interviewee's marriage took place at Villa Maria Chapel in Christopher, New Zealand. The questions helped to find useful information on the ritual and to discover an individuals view on marriage.A Catholic marriage has a clear structure. The first main element of a Catholic wedding is the wedding procession. It includes the bride walking down the aisle either by herself or with one or both of her parents as well as the wedding party. The symbolism of this elem ent is the beginning of a change of status and new life. Another element includes the readings from the Old Testament and New Testament. The purpose of the readings is to outline the importance of a Catholic tradition and make the presence of God in the marriage clear.The declaration of intention is also an important part of the wedding. This stage outlines the promises of commitment to each other throughout the struggles in marriage. The blessing of rings and exchanging of vows is often seen as the most important part of the wedding as the couple expresses the love they shares for each other and the vows symbolism commitment. Christians believe during the vows Christ becomes present. My interviewee saw this element as the climax of the ritual. The pronouncement of marriage is the stage where the change in status is almost completed.The signing of the register is a formal and legal recognition of the marriage and completes the stage f status for the couple. The recession concludes t he ritual ceremony, thus the change of status is final. As stated before, marriage suitably fits into Van Genie's model. He argued that there were three stages of a rite of passage, one being pre-lamina. The pre-lamina stage is the first stage in a rite of passage. It involves the separation from the couple's previous life. In a Catholic Marriage, the pre-lamina stage involves the bridal procession as it marks a beginning of a new status for the bride.It also involves the declaration of purpose where the priest outlines the significance of marriage and its repose in a Catholic context. The lamina stage involves transitioning from one stage to another and is often seen as the most important stage. The lamina stage in a Catholic marriage takes place after the giving away of the bride to the end of the exchanging of rings. The blessing of rings and exchanging of vows physically marks the change in status and transition. The post lamina stage in a Catholic marriage is the reincorporatio n stage where the couple is now ready to enter society with their new status.The post lamina stage in a Catholic marriage would include the signing of the register where the couple omelets their change in status and the recession where their change in status is Another model that is suitable to show and explain the structure of the ritual is Love's five-step approach. The model includes five steps, the first being the entry in which the participant leaves the ordinary world and enters the ritual. In a Catholic marriage this would include the proposal and declaration. The couple is now engaged and candidates for marriage.The second step is called the â€Å"preparation† in which the couple is involved in some sort of preparatory rite. This would include pre- Raritan counseling. The third is the climax of the ritual, which is the central, or highpoint of the ritual. In a marriage ceremony, the climax would be the exchanging of rings and vows. My interviewee agreed with this. The forth step includes the celebration which would be the wedding reception and the fifth step is called the â€Å"return† where the participants (bride and groom) leave the ritual and return to the ordinary world.The marriage ceremony marks separation from the ordinary or profane for the couple. The declaration of the couple as ‘husband' and Wife' displays that they are prepared from the community as they are now married. One element in a Catholic wedding which reinforces doctrinal teachings, is the readings. A common reading used is Psalm 103:8 which is a responsible psalm. â€Å"The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. † The message of the psalm is that the Lord is kind and merciful. The four major rites of passages are birth, adolescence, marriage and death.These passages will happen whether or not they are acknowledged with a ritual. Although, Christians choose to mark them with a special ceremony as they are important ruinatio ns in people's lives. The models by Van Genes, Turner and Loved are important as they help to break down rites of passages to better understand them. Catholic Marriage fits best into Van Genie's model as well as Love's. Marriage is important to Catholics as it promotes the same love that exists in the Holy Trinity and for the procreation of life, another aspect that mirrors the Trinity. Marriage creates a union between spouses.It is a sacrament and an institution created by God. B. WRITTEN SUBMISSION This investigation has helped to expand my knowledge on rituals, rites of passage ND marriage. I learnt that a ritual can be as simple as a morning routine and that there are many varieties of a ritual. Before the investigation, I had only a brief understanding of the models. The investigation helped to develop my knowledge on the particular models by Van Genes and Loved. The models helped me also to better the pre-lamina stage (separation), lamina stage (transition), and post-lamina st age (reincorporation).Love's model involves five steps: the entry, preparation, climax, celebration and return. These models are not only used for Christian rituals but for tails of any religion. The Buddhist view of marriage is considered a secular affair and is not seen as a religious duty. Buddhism marriage is a personal and social obligation. In Islam, marriage is a legal contract and the religion is a strong advocate for marriage. Referring to Hinduism, Hindus view marriage as a sacrament. They have similar views as Christianity in terms of marriage, believing that marriage is a union and Joins two individuals for life.Judaism also has similar views as marriage is viewed as a bond commanded by God in which a man and woman come together to create a legislations in which God is involved. Also, Jewish married couples are traditionally expected to have children. Australia is a multicultural society and therefore, we have a variety of different religions such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism and many others, which are continually developing in Australian society. This means marriage ceremonies in Australia significantly differ depending on the religion. The participant's culture may be expressed through clothing or music.My interviewee's wedding did not take place in Australia but New Zealand. Australia ND New Zealand are very similar thus my interviewee's wedding did not significantly differ from a traditional Australian wedding. In an Aboriginal marriage ceremony, couples are commonly involved in a traditional smoking ceremony which makes the couple feel cleansed and free, going into the marriage with no bad spirits to bring them bad luck and it is also performed to create a lifelong bond between the couple. Marriage in Aboriginal societies is complicated and has puzzled anthropologists for centuries.In a Catholic marriage, the most important or common symbol is the rings. The rings present a never-ending circle of eternal love. They al so represent the union and commitment of the couple. Other marriage symbols include the veil, wedding bells, the wedding dress and the bible. Marriage successfully draws participants beyond the ordinary and into the transcendent as it is does not Just simply include the man and woman being in love. It is something larger in which the partners have a special ceremony which expresses the very meaning of their life together.Even though the institution of marriage that binds the couple together is invisible actions such as the stating the vows and exchanging of rings expresses the love and union. Although my speech mostly discusses the wedding ceremony, the preparation of the doesn't Just involve getting the wedding dress, flowers, rings etc. Couples are encouraged to attend pre-marital counseling which helps them prepare for marriage. After the couple is officially married, they may decide to go on a honeymoon. Also, the couple may decide that they want to have children, as marriage is essentially the ideal foundation for the making of children.The investigation was interesting yet difficult at times. The most challenging part of he investigation was finding what the pre-lamina, lamina and post-lamina stages of a Catholic wedding are. Information on the internet told me that pre-lamina stage of a Catholic wedding is the engagement, lamina is the ceremony and post-lamina is the honeymoon. However, I wanted to find the stages in the specific ceremony, as it was my main focus. The investigation helped me to better understand the concept of a ritual and a wedding ritual. Bibliography Austere, L, What is transcendence and why does it matter?

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Relations between states Essay Winston Churchill famously lamented, â€Å"It may be that we shall by a process of sublime irony have reached a stage in this story where safety will be the sturdy child of terror, and survival the twin brother of annihilation. † In the wake of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a new nuclear age was ushered in with mushroom clouds and unimaginable destruction. Suddenly, humankind had invented a weapon powerful enough—if used in sufficient quantity—to destroy the Earth’s capacity to sustain human life. For the world, the menace of nuclear winter was terrifying. To social scientists, it was equally frightening, but also presented a new paradigm of international relations. Technology has evolved throughout history, but never before had an advancement in weapons fundamentally shifted anything more than battlefield tactics. Nuclear weapons, on the other hand, brought a tremendous shift in the relations between states. Suddenly, the stakes of war were different; suddenly, war between two states had implications for the planet that wars had never produced before. John Mueller, in his article â€Å"The Irrelevance of Nuclear Weapons,† disputes the idea that nuclear weapons actually fundamentally changed the landscape of international relations. Instead, Mueller argues, the horrors of World Wars I and II already escalated the stakes of warfare to a tipping point level, where the costs were so high that warfare was naturally deterred between stable, developed states. Specifically, Mueller cites the memory of World War II, superpower contentment with the postwar status quo, Soviet ideology, and a fear of escalation as the primary four reasons that nuclear weapons did not fundamentally change the nature of war deterrence. Mueller’s argument, while logically sound, has not held up to the tests of empiricism. Mueller’s first argument—that nuclear deterrence had little impact because all nations were already so horrified by the devastation wrought by World War II that they would never repeat its destruction—is weak. Certainly, World War II is the most tragic and destructive event of the twentieth century and probably is unrivalled in human history for its breadth of brutality and human loss of life. Yet, as Mueller admits, World War I was enough to convince the world of the maxim â€Å"never again,† only to have a similar conflict erupt twenty years after the guns of World War I were silenced. On top of the similarity between World War I and World War II, the wake of World War II was not free from conflict. For the United States, even, the Korean conflict broke out less than a decade after World War II and was quickly followed by Vietnam. Both conflicts brought about staggering casualties. Clearly, World War II was worse, but it was not enough of a deterrent to stop many wars in its aftermath. In other words, Mueller’s argument that nuclear deterrence did not fundamentally shift the landscape because World War II’s horrors took care of doing so, does not stand up to the test of facts; conflicts erupted regardless. More importantly, however, nuclear war would be substantially different than World War II. World War II was immensely devastating because it was fought by enormous armies of many different countries for several years. Nuclear war could not be more different; it could be carried out with little more than a small air force, the right bombs, and could last days. Once the Soviet Union and the United States acquired nuclear weapons, it was a different ballgame. Entire cities could be wiped off the map in a second. For policymakers, that changed the incentive structures. Undertaking a war with the Soviet Union prior to the nuclear age would have enlisted the entire nation’s resources, citizens, and finances. On the other hand, when there was an asymmetry of power—between 1945 and 1949 specifically—the American government could have eliminated a Soviet city from existence with little more than a single jet and a small aircrew. That skewed the playing field heavily in the favor of the United States. But, that changed when the Soviets acquired nuclear capability. Suddenly, both countries faced the same incentives and the same disincentives to go to war; each was assured that a nuclear attack by one would prompt a retaliation—perhaps a disproportionate one—from the other. This created a paradox—without having to deploy armies or finance massive military campaigns, war was much closer; it simply took an order from Washington or Moscow. Yet, the stakes were also higher. With nuclear weapons in play, escalation was simultaneously much closer and much less desirable. The fact that conventional conflicts between states raged on in the post-war era but nuclear conflict has never arisen speaks volumes about the unique power of a nuclear deterrent. Thus, Mueller’s argument about the deterrence of conventional conflict does not hold up to analytical scrutiny given history’s contradiction. Moreover, Mueller’s argument that the superpowers were already unlikely to go to war (with or without nuclear weapons) because they were content with the status quo is equally vacuous. Certainly, the superpowers never engaged directly in combat. But nuclear weapon deterrent theory posits that nuclear weapons impedes escalation to the highest levels because the costs associated are simply unbearable for all involved parties. In other words, if Mueller is correct that the post-war status quo already acted as a sufficient deterrent, then the superpowers should have been peaceful throughout the Cold War. Far from it, they instead engaged in many proxy wars—wars specifically designed to allow low-level conflict as each vied for further control of the globe, but simultaneously to ensure that the conflict would never rage out of control and risk bringing nuclear weapons to the table. Cold War flare ups between communist and capitalist powers prove Mueller’s theory to be false; the post-war status quo was repeatedly altered as the Soviets and Americans each sought to expand their power and gain a strategic advantage over their enemy, without inviting the use of nuclear weapons precisely because of nuclear deterrence. Mueller’s third argument—that Soviet ideology was a sufficient deterrent that is often mis-attributed to the myth of nuclear deterrence—is simply a red herring. Mueller makes a strong case, certainly, but it does not address the fundamentals of nuclear deterrence theory. Simply because the Soviets in particular may have been less likely to engage in a full-out war with another hegemonic power, that does not negate the validity of nuclear deterrence theory. Simply stated, nuclear deterrence theory is an idea that applies to all states, and invoking the Soviet case to disprove the entirety of the rule is a weak attack that falls flat. Mueller’s fourth argument—that a fear of escalation was already in place and did not need nuclear weapons to operate—is equally flawed. Fear of escalation is precisely the heart of nuclear deterrence theory: nuclear weapons prevent war because provoking a nuclear power is likely to yield unspeakable horrors. Mueller suggests that the threat of war alone is horrific enough to produce a similar deterrent and that as a result, nuclear weapons did little to change deterrence dynamics. But empirical research disagrees. According to Robert Rauchhaus of the University of California, Santa Barbara, â€Å"When a nuclear asymmetry exists between two states, there is a greater chance of militarized disputes and war. In contrast, when there is symmetry and both states possess nuclear weapons, then the odds of war precipitously drop. † Rauchhaus’s research, which draws upon many decades of empirical research, quantitatively validates the importance of nuclear weapons. Even though, as Rauchhaus points out, nuclear weapons are not universally positive in their deterrent effects (asymmetrical nuclear capabilities can promote rather than deter war, for example), they inevitably have an impact (and a substantial one at that) on international affairs. This study flies in the face of Mueller’s claim that nuclear weapons are simply tangential deterrents running parallel to a larger deterrent growing out of the desire to avoid large wars. On all four fronts, Mueller’s claims are flimsy. His article is nonetheless important because it challenges the premises of deterrent theory and suggests an alternative viewpoint. In the end, however, it seems that nuclear weapons do make a difference: conventional wars continue at regular intervals, but no nuclear weapon has been dropped in warfare since the horrors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima jolted the world into a stunned realization that nuclear warfare was simply unacceptable and needed to be avoided at all costs.

Awarness and Attitude of Primary Teachers Essay Example for Free

Awarness and Attitude of Primary Teachers Essay Child Rights: A Gist The Convention on the Rights of the Child defines basic rights of children covering multiple needs and issues. India endorsed it on December 11, 1992. Following are a few rights in the immediate purview of Smile Foundation as well as India. The right to Education: 50% of Indian children aged 6-18 do not go to school Dropout rates increase alarmingly in class III to V, its 50% for boys, 58% for girls. The right to Expression: Every child has a right to express himself freely in which ever way he likes. Majority of children however are exploited by their elders and not allowed to express. The right to Information: Every child has a right to know his basic rights and his position in the society. High incidence of illiteracy and ignorance among the deprived and underprivileged children prevents them from having access to information about them and their society. The right to Nutrition: More than 50% of Indias children are malnourished. While one in every five adolescent boys is malnourished, one in every two girls in India is undernourished. The right to Health Care: 58% of Indias children below the age of 2 years are not fully vaccinated. And 24% of these children do not receive any form of vaccination. Over 60% of children in India are anemic. 95 in every 1000 children born in India, do not see their fifth birthday. 70 in every 1000 children born in India, do not see their first birthday. The right to protection from Abuse: There are approximately 2 million child commercial sex workers between the age of 5 and 15 years and about 3.3 million between 15 and 18 years. They form 40% of the total population of commercial sex workers in India. 500,000 children are forced into this trade every year. The right to protection from Exploitation: 17 million children in India work as per official estimates. A study found that children were sent to work by compulsion and not by choice, mostly by parents, but with recruiter playing a crucial role in influencing decision. When working outside the family, children put in an average of 21 hours of labour per week. Poor and bonded families often sell their children to contractors who promise lucrative jobs in the cities and the children end up being employed in brothels, hotels and domestic work. Many run away and find a life on the streets. The right to protection from Neglect: Every child has a right to lead a well protected and secure life away from neglect. However, children working under exploitative and inhuman conditions get neglected  badly. The right to Development: Every child has the right to development that lets the child explore her/his full potential. Unfavourable living conditions of underprivileged children prevents them from growing in a free and uninhibited way. The right to Recreation: Every child has a right to spend some time on recreational pursuits like sports, entertainment and hobbies to explore and develop. Majority of poor children in India do not get time to spend on recreational activities. The right to Name Nationality: Every child has a right to identify himself with a nation. A vast majority of underprivileged children in India are treated like commodities and exported to other countries as labour or prostitutes. The right to Survival: Of the 12 million girls born in India, 3 million do not see their fifteenth birthday, and a million of them are unable to survive even their first birthday. Every sixth girl childs death is due to gender discrimination. Child Rights in India: An Introduction India is a party to the UN declaration on the Rights of the Child 1959. Accordingly, it adopted a National Policy on Children in 1974. The policy reaffirmed the constitutional provisions for adequate services to children, both before and after birth and through the period of growth to ensure their full physical, mental and social development. Accordingly, the government is taking action to review the national and state legislation and bring it in line with the provisions of the Convention. It has also developed appropriate monitoring procedures to assess progress in implementing the Convention-involving various stake holders in the society. India is also a signatory to the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children. In pursuance of the commitment made at the World Summit, the Department of Women and Child Development under the Ministry of Human Resource Development has formulated a National Plan of Action for Children. Most of the recommendations of the World Summit Action Plan are reflected in Indias National Plan of Action- keeping in mind the needs, rights and aspirations of 300 million children in the country. The priority areas in the Plan are health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and environment. The Plan gives special consideration to children in difficult circumstances and aims at providing a framework, for actualization of the objectives of the Convention in the Indian context. Status of Children in  India Recent UNICEF (2005) report on the state of the world’s children under the title â€Å"Childhood Under Threat† , speaking about India, states that millions of Indian children are equally deprived of their rights to survival, health, nutrition, education and safe drinking water. It is reported that 63 per cent of them go to bed hungry and 53 per cent suffer from chronic malnutrition. The report says that 147 million children live in kuchcha houses, 77 million do not use drinking water from a tap, 85 million are not being immunized, 27 million are severely underweight and 33 million have never been to school. It estimates that 72 million children in India between five and 14 years do not have access to basic education. A girl child is the worst victim as she is often neglected and is discriminated against because of the preference for a boy child. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights In order to ensure child rights practices and in response to India’s commitment to UN declaration to this effect, the government of India set up a National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. The Commission is a statutory body notified under an Act of the Parliament on December 29, 2006. Besides the chairperson, it will have six members from the fields of child health, education, childcare and development, juvenile justice, children with disabilities, elimination of child labour, child psychology or sociology and laws relating to children. The Commission has the power to inquire into complaints and take suo motu notice of matters relating to deprivation of childs rights and non-implementation of laws providing for protection and development of children among other things. Aimed at examining and reviewing the safeguards provided by the law to protect child rights, the Commission will recommend measures for their effective implementation. It will suggest amendments, if needed, and look into complaints or take suo motu notice of cases of violation of the constitutional and legal rights of children. The Commission is to ensure proper enforcement of child rights and effective implementation of laws and programmes relating to children- enquiring into complaints and take suo motu  cognizance of matters relating to deprivation of child rights; non-implementation of laws providing for protection and development of children and non-compliance of policy decisions, guidelines or instructions aimed at their welfare and announcing relief for children and issuing remedial measures to the state governments. Convention on the Rights of the Child Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989 Right to education From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search The right to education is a universal entitlement to education, a right that is recognized as a human right. According to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights the right to education includes the right to free, compulsory primary education for all[1], an obligation to develop secondary education accessible to all, in particular by the progressive introduction of free secondary education[2], as well as an obligation to develop equitable access to higher education, ideally by the progressive introduction of free higher education.[3] The right to education also includes a responsibility to provide basic education for individuals who have not completed primary education. In addition to these access to education provisions, the right to education encompasses the obligation to rule out discrimination at all levels of the educational system, to set minimum standards and to improve quality of education. [4] International legal basis The right to education is law in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Articles 200 and 14 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.[5][6][7] The right to education has been reaffirmed in the 1960 UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education and the 1981 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.[8] In Europe, Article 2 of the first Protocol of 20 March 1952 to the European Convention on Human Rights states that the right to education is recognized as a human right and is understood to establish an entitlement to education. According to the International  Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the right to education includes the right to free, compulsory primary education for all, an obligation to develop secondary education accessible to all in particular by the progressive introduction of free secondary education, as well as an obligation to develop equitable access to higher education in particular by the progressive introduction of free higher education. The right to education also includes a responsibility to provide basic education for individuals who have not completed primary education. In addition to these access to education provisions, the right to education encompasses also the obligation to eliminate discrimination at all levels of the educational system, to set minimum standards and to improve quality. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has applied this norm for example in the Belgian linguistic case.[9] Article 10 of the European Social Charter guarantees the ri ght to vocational education. [10] Definition Education narrowly refers to formal institutional instructions. Generally, international instruments use the term in this sense and the right to education, as protected by international human rights instruments, refers primarily to education in a narrow sense. The 1960 UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education defines education in Article 1(2) as: all types and levels of education, (including) access to education, the standard and quality of education, and the conditions under which it is given.[11] In a wider sense education may describe all activities by which a human group transmits to its descendants a body of knowledge and skills and a moral code which enable the group to subsist.[11] In this sense education refers to the transmission to a subsequent generation of those skills needed to perform tasks of daily living, and further passing on the social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical values of the particular community. The wider meaning of education has been recognised in Article 1(a) of UNESCOs 1974 Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding, Co-operation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.[12] The article states that education implies: the entire process of social life by means of which individuals and social groups learn to develop consciously within, and for the benefit of, the national and international communities, the whole of their personal  capabilities, attitudes, aptitudes and knowledge.[11] The European Court of Human Rights has defined education in a narrow sense as teaching or instructions in particular to the transmission of knowledge and to intellectual development and in a wider sense as the whole process whereby, in any society, adults endeavour to transmit their beliefs, culture and other values to the young. [11] Assessment of fulfilment The fulfilment of the right to education can be assessed using the 4 As framework, which asserts that for education to be a meaningful right it must be available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable. The 4 As framework was developed by the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Katarina Tomasevski, but is not necessarily the standard used in every international human rights instrument and hence not a generic guide to how the right to education is treated under national law.[13] The 4 As framework proposes that governments, as the prime duty-bearer, has to respect, protect and fulfil the right to education by making education available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable. The framework also places duties on other stakeholders in the education process: the child, which as the privileged subject of the right to education has the duty to comply with compulsory education requirements, the parents as the ‘first educators’, and professional educators, namely teachers.[13] The 4 As have been further elaborated as follows:[14] * Availability – funded by governments, education is universal, free and compulsory. There should be proper infrastructure and facilities in place with adequate books and materials for students. Buildings should meet both safety and sanitation standards, such as having clean drinking water. Active recruitment, proper training and appropriate retention methods should ensure that enough qualified staff is available at each school. [15] * Accessibility – all children should have equal access to school services regardless of gender, race, religion, ethnicity or socio-economic status. Efforts should be made to ensure the inclusion of marginalized groups including children of refugees, the homeless or those with disabilities. There should be no forms of segregation or denial of access to any students. This includes ensuring that proper laws are in place against any child  labour or exploitation to prevent children from obtaining primary or secondary education. Schools must be within a reasonable distance for children within the community, otherwise transportation should be provided to students, particularly those that might live in rural areas, to ensure ways to school are safe and convenient. Education should be affordable to all, with textbooks, supplies and uniforms provided to students at no additional costs. [16] * Acceptability – the quality of education provided should be free of discrimination, relevant and culturally appropriate for all students. Students should not be expected to conform to any specific religious or ideological views. Methods of teaching should be objective and unbiased and material available should reflect a wide array of ideas and beliefs. Health and safety should be emphasized within schools including the elimination of any forms of corporal punishment. Professionalism of staff and teachers should be maintained.[17] * Adaptability – educational programs should be flexible and able to adjust according to societal changes and the needs of the community. Observance of religious or cultural holidays should be respected by schools in order to accommodate students, along with providing adequate care to those students with disabilities. [18] A number of international NGOs and charities work to realise the right to education using a rights-based approach to development.[citation needed] Historical development In Europe, before the Enlightenment of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, education was the responsibility of parents and the church. With the French and American Revolution education was established also as a public function. It was thought that the state, by assuming a more active role in the sphere of education, could help to make education available and accessible to all. Education had thus far been primarily available to the upper social classes and public education was perceived as a means of realising the egalitarian ideals underlining both revolutions.[19] However, neither the American Declaration of Independence (1776) nor the French Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789) protected the right to education as the liberal concepts of human rights in the nineteenth century envisaged that parents retained the primary duty for providing education to their children. It was the states obligation to ensure that parents complied with this duty, and many states  enacted legislat ion making school attendance compulsory. Furthermore child labour laws were enacted to limit the number of hours per day children could be employed, to ensure children would attend school. States also became involved in the legal regulation of curricula and established minimum educational standards.[20] In On Liberty John Stuart Mill wrote that an education established and controlled by the State should only exist, if it exists at all, as one among many competing experiments, carried on for the purpose of example and stimulus to keep the others up to a certain standard of excellence. Liberal thinkers of the nineteenth century pointed to the dangers to too much state involvement in the sphere of education, but relied on state intervention to reduce the dominance of the church, and to protect the right to education of children against their own parents. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, educational rights were included in domestic bills of rights.[21] The 1849 Paulskirchenverfassung, the constitution of the German Empire, strongly influenced subsequent European constitutions and devoted Article 152 to 158 of its bill of rights to education. The constitution recognised education as a function of the state, independent of the church. Remarkable at the time, the constitution proclaimed the right to free education for the poor, but the constitution did not explicitly require the state to set up educational institutions. Instead the constitution protected the rights of citizens to found and operate schools and to provide home education. The constitution also provided for freedom of science and teaching, and it guaranteed the right of everybody to choose a vocation and train for it.[22] The nineteenth century also saw the development of socialist theory, which held that the primary task of the state was to ensure the economic and social well-being of the community through government intervention and regulation. Socialist theory recognised that individuals had claims to basic welfare services against the state and education was viewed as one of these welfare entitlements. This was in contrast to liberal theory at the time, which regarded non-state actors as the prime providers of education. Socialist ideals were enshrined in the 1936 Soviet Constitution, which was the first constitution to recognise the right to education with a corresponding obligation of the state to provide such education. The constitution guaranteed free and compulsory education at all levels, a system of state scholarships and vocational training in state  enterprises. Subsequently the right to education featured strongly in the constitutions of socialist states.[23] As a political goal, right to education was declared in F. D. Roosevelts 1944 speech on the Second Bill of Rights. Implementation International law does not protect the right to pre-primary education and international documents generally omit references to education at this level.[24] The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to education, hence the right applies to all individuals, although children are understood as the main beneficiaries.[25] The rights to education are separated into three levels: * Primary (Elemental or Fundamental) Education. This shall be compulsory and free for any child regardless of their nationality, gender, place of birth, or any other discrimination. Upon ratifying the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights States must provide free primary education within two years. * Secondary (or Elementary, Technical and Professional in the UDHR) Education must be generally available and accessible. * Higher Education (at the University Level) should be provided according to capacity. That is, anyone who meets the necessary education standards should be able to go to university. Both secondary and higher education shall be made accessible by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education. [26] Compulsory education The realisation of the right to education on a national level may be achieved through compulsory education, or more specifically free compulsory primary education, as stated in both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.[27][28] Action For Children (AFC) Action for Children (AFC) conceptualised by Wild Ganzen and supported by Net4Kids and Kids Rights aims at involving privileged citizens, civil society groups and various institutions including corporates in the development process. This programme supported by the Dutch Government promoted consortium (Wild Ganzen, Net4Kids and Kids Rights) has given a boost to the initiative. The programme is being implemented in three developing economies of the world namely Brazil, South Africa and India. Smile Foundation joined hands with the Consortium in April 2008 and since then has been executing the programme in India. The objective is to stimulate more fortunate mass to be a part of the development process and ensure sustainability of grassroots initiatives across India. Through AFC, Smile Foundation encourages people to ‘stand up and act’ to bring a change in the lives of underprivileged children and youth. Action For Children is based on the concept that development is a people’s issue and not just the government’s concern. With this premise, the Foundation has been striving to build a civil society that owes responsibility for societal development and participate whole-heartedly in transforming the lives of underprivileged children. Through AFC, Smile Foundation encourages individuals, civil society groups, corporate houses, professional associations, schools, colleges, youth wings to participate in the development process. The Action for Children programme sensitizes and involves the fortunate mass through: 1. Local Actions Local Action connotes organizing an event to raise funds for a child centric project. It can be organised by individuals, groups and institutions in their region. Local action aims at sensitization and consequent involvement of the privileged mass in raising funds for children through various activities 2. KidsXL KidsXL is a school exchange programme wherein children of privileged school and underprivileged school are brought together under one platform. Several interactive sessions and special activities are organized for the children. KidsXL aims at bringing the children from both the segments closer, thereby reducing social disparities. In the process, the children also learn to be sensitive and responsible towards the society 3. Media Advocacy The aim is to involve media in creating awareness among the people and advocating the cause before a wide audience. The Foundation sensitizes  people through documentaries, Public Service Advertisements, news features, advocacy campaigns, rallies etc. 4. Corporate Social Responsibility CSR aims at sensitising and involving corporates in the development process. It gives the corporates an opportunity to give back to the society. It is based on a partnership model wherein corporates partner with Smile Foundation either to support the whole or a part of capital cost or running cost of a child centric project. The inherent objective of the programme is to ensure that the development activities become locally sustainable.