Children and the Right to Play

Growing up in a developing nation, I still recall the degree of trepidation at the thought of the teacher’s cane. It was always the first measure in enforcing discipline. Thinking back now, many a pupil did not quite appreciate the underlying reason for some of the things that were considered wrong. For the most part, they only abstained out of fear of the whip. There were some who got so used to being caned that they began to flout the rules at will. We had no parks, video games, internet, cable or satellite television. Those who were privileged to own a television set had to make do with only one channel. Toys were expensive and unaffordable by most families. But we improvised in many ways and though oblivious to us, we were building the foundation for entrepreneurship and many other good things. That was our life and we did not complain because, at the end of the day, we enjoyed an inalienable right to play.

I shall digress a bit. On corporal punishment, there are compelling arguments from both sides of the divide. Protagonists will argue that back in the day of the whip, regardless of the circumstance, engaging a teacher in fisticuffs like we see today was completely unthinkable. Antagonists, on the other hand, will contend that one need not resort to brutality in passing a simple message to a child. It remains a contentious and yet, tricky subject. Then the moderates argue that some occasional spanking may help both child and teacher or parent. Though it should neither be the first resort nor condescend to abuse. However, what is indisputable among all sides, in view of its fundamental significance, is that a child’s right to play is sacrosanct and therefore, must be respected.

From September 13 to 16, the International Play Association (IPA) will hold its 2017 conference. IPA is an international non-governmental organization that provides a forum for exchange and actions across disciplines and sectors. It serves to protect, preserve and promote the child’s right to play as a fundamental human right. Membership is open to any individual or group which ascribes to the child’s right to leisure, play and participation in cultural and artistic activities. I was unaware of its existence until today.

I think about the numerous children growing up in some parts of the world and I am draped in sadness. Did you mean play as in, rest, leisure and recreation? Will those words ever mean anything to them? Time and again, kids are forced into lives of servitude by their parents or guardians’ due to poverty, atonement or punishment, in some cases. Many, end up emotionally, physically and sexually abused if not maimed or killed. It is mostly from here that sex trafficking takes root.

Due to the usual problems of underdevelopment, children hawk on the street where they often experience mishaps that range from mild to fatal. Elsewhere, they are on the farms tilling the earth or engaged in some menial activity. Without that, there may not be food to eat. Even so, many still go to bed hungry, not knowing whether or when they will find food to eat again.

We equally have the ones enduring the strife in war-torn nations. In some of those places, children are used as military shields to score cheap political points. In others, they are forced to carry arms in impetuous wars, caused by the greed and ego of despicable leaders. Then, there are those who are brain-washed into suicide-bombing for all the different reasons that negate common sense.

As if these are not bad enough already, there is the added evil of kidnapping. Awful as it may sound, even the kids who could afford to play, can no longer do so, freely. In most cases, they play only after they have been effectively secured in some place and under strict guard, which feels more like imprisonment than recreation.

This is the predicament of many children who through no fault of theirs were sired in underdeveloped nations. How long can this go on before it causes an implosion that could rock the rest of the world?

Children are the future. If they miss their childhood, they will never get it back. It is in the bed they make today that they will sleep, tomorrow. Play is essential to their health and well-being. It is bad enough that many nations cannot provide the needful for most of their children. But allowing conditions to remain unsuitable for something as simple as free play is akin to condemning these children to hell without judgment.

This is my clarion call to the IPA and all well-meaning individuals and groups in support of what the organization stands for. As you deliberate in the next few days, kindly remember the children who are unable to engage in an exercise as simple as play.