Dr. Chandrakant Laharia's column: Who takes care of the children when parents go to work?

A crying child in daycare does not scold, but asks for affection. He needs a voice, a gentle touch, a lap, a toy, or even a song. The news from Bengaluru shattered this trust. According to reports, videos from Capgemini's daycare at the Brookfield campus showed cruelties such as locking children up to the age of two in bathrooms and hitting them with a toilet jet. Five caregivers were booked and now the centre has been closed. It did not happen in an irregular crèche, but in the corporate premises of India's tech capital. Such centres assure parents that the child is safe, now you do the work. That trust was shattered. This case raises the question, who is paying the price when parents work? For the urban middle class, the income of both parents is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. Housing, schools, health, domestic help, insurance, EMIs have put families under pressure. Women's work is also linked to their dignity, freedom, progress. In the absence of reliable childcare, many women leave their jobs. That's why crèches are necessary, but safe crèches are more important. When parents work long hours, the child's day is divided between daycare, nanny, screen, activity class, and tired parents. Without time, love becomes the system. Affection without presence becomes management. Parenting becomes a weekend job. But children need parents. They need mobile food, a story before bed, answers to questions, a calm atmosphere and safe sleep. Childhood is not a pre-school wait. This is the time when the body, brain and emotions develop rapidly. UNICEF considers it an important period of nutrition, safety, early learning and sensitive care. WHO and UNICEF insist on the first 1000 days. According to NFHS-6, 29.3% of children under the age of five suffer from stunting, 19% frailty and 31.8% are underweight. The baby also grows with food by touch, language and trust. Over the past few decades, many countries have recognized that childcare is not a private arrangement, but a social structure. UNICEF sees childcare and parental leave as a combination of care, as children need care and adults need work-life balance. Care is not just the mother's, but the shared responsibility of parents and society. In India, the model of working for both parents is increasing, but the system has not been created to humanize it. We have technology parks, but childcare regulation is weak. There are long travel hours, but flexible working is limited. Domestic workers take care of the children, while their own children remain vulnerable. We buy expensive courses of study, but give less time to the children. The solutions are also obvious. Every crèche and daycare must be registered, inspected and audited. Caregivers should get good pay, training, and monitoring. They should be taught child development, safe behaviour and non-violent discipline. Employers should treat childcare as a responsibility, not a convenience. Flexible working hours, fixed hours, hybrid options and parental leave provide parents with children. After all, it is a question of shaping life according to the safety and emotional needs of children. (These are the author's own views)