[ Drishyamuni Chakma ]
Childhood is meant to be a phase of care, learning and protection. However, Arunachal Pradesh is today witnessing an alarming rise in cases of child labour, child trafficking, child exploitation and sexual abuse. These crimes, often hidden within private spaces and informal employment arrangements, expose not only administrative failures but also a deep moral crisis within a society that claims to be civilised.
One of the most disturbing trends is the increasing exploitation of children employed as domestic helpers. Many children are brought from remote villages and economically vulnerable families with assurances of education, food and safety. Instead, they are forced into long hours of unpaid labour, denied schooling, subjected to physical and mental cruelty, and in several cases, sexually abused. What is presented as ‘help’ or ‘guardianship’ often becomes systematic exploitation.
Even more alarming is the growing nexus of child trafficking and organised exploitation. Middlemen and brokers openly facilitate the movement of children across districts and state boundaries for domestic work and other informal labour, operating with near impunity. The lack of registration, verification and monitoring of domestic employment has turned children into invisible victims, trapped in environments where abuse remains unreported and unpunished.
Sexual abuse of children, particularly those working in private households, remains one of the most underreported crimes. The power imbalance between the child and the employer, coupled with fear, isolation and social stigma, silences victims. In many cases, abuse continues for months or years before it comes to light- if it ever does. Such crimes not only violate the law but permanently scar the physical and psychological wellbeing of children.
Child exploitation in Arunachal is not limited to labour alone. It includes sexual exploitation, forced servitude, emotional abuse, denial of education, and economic exploitation. These practices collectively rob children of their dignity, safety and future, and constitute gross violations of their fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution of India.
India has enacted several laws to protect children, including the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. However, the reality on the ground reveals serious gaps in enforcement. In Arunachal, many offences fail to receive timely cognisance, investigations are delayed, and accountability remains weak.
There is an urgent need for the government to frame and enforce clear, stringent and child-centric mechanisms for immediate cognisance of child labour, trafficking, exploitation and sexual abuse cases. Crimes against children must not wait for formal complaints alone; authorities should be legally empowered and obligated to act suo motu on information received through media reports, civil society inputs, or credible public sources.
At the same time, society must introspect. Employing a child as domestic help is not an act of charity – it is exploitation. Remaining silent in the face of abuse is not neutrality – it is complicity. Every household, community and institution has a moral and legal duty to protect children.
Arunachal’s progress cannot be measured solely by development indices or infrastructure projects. A truly civilised society is judged by how it treats its children. The rising cases of child labour, trafficking, exploitation and sexual abuse are not isolated incidents – they are urgent warnings.
If decisive action is not taken now, history will remember us as a society that failed to protect its most vulnerable. The time for strong laws, strict enforcement and collective moral courage is now.(The writer is a lawyer and president of the All India Chakma Students’ Union)
