Nokchem Angth: For past good times, I have been questioning myself for many issues that are prevailing in our state. And the one that I failed to get satisfactory answer was on "Domestic Helper".
Many of you, the bureaucrat, the politician, the officer, the professor, the teacher, the merchant, the contractor... in short you rich people have one or more domestic helper to guard your blatant building or to serve you. It might not be my business to poke in your nose but I have a concern for the helpless children so kindly allow me to say my opinion on the issue concerned.
Lately, we have been seeing many news items regarding Minor Rape, and all those incident are met to Domestic Helper, one being from recent incident in Mkg (NB: apologize for mentioning particular district) where a maid was allegedly raped by one old person. There are many such unraveled stories in the past too because the culprit/perpetrator or owner threatened them with more harsh consequences if they reveal. Those uncivilized act are mainly committed by the uncivilized men but it should not be the responsible of the owner to look and take care of their security?
Not only rape but there are numerous social unjust given to them. They are also denied good education, proper dressing, abstain from getting delicious food and some are not even given good sleeping places. Not forgetting torturing and emotional blackmailing and etcetera etcetera... Parents send them to be with you with high anticipation that you will make their loved one somebody in life and they will be back with good package to look after them (parents) but things aren't doing like their wishes, in fact, they are just experiencing all the corporal punishment which they haven't known when they were with their parents taking just a simple food with plain curry. They have seen and tasted the real taste of Love when they had no food to take, no cloth to wear or no educational institutions to learn and gain the knowledge but how are they after they step in your luxurious building? Are they feeling secure and safe to face you or your other family members? Do they regard you as their parents? Many questions that need to ponder! Please let's stop this unfairness. We should remember that their parents send them off with hard heart and full of emotion. No parent wants their own children to depart from them but they are doing this because they become helpless. They are sending them to live with you and work for you, not because they hate them but they are doing because they love their children. They send them because they want their wards to get an education like their other fellow friends which they can't afford. They don't want their children to stay hungry because it is impossible for just a mere family to manage the family of 5 to 10 members just with what they have harvested in the field. They also don't want to see their children roaming naked in the street and they can't afford with what they ask, so they agree with your demand and allow their children to stay with you with the tagged "Servant" "maid" or "cook", "helper", they send them with inner pain though. I truly understand the meaning of the above tagged lexicon but what I mean is, are you giving them fair treatment? Are you delivering justice to their parents? Do you remember all the soft words that you have spoken to their parents when you visit them to hire those poor and helpless kids? Also, do you think their parents really appreciate you in front of others without knowing how their child is being treated? I request you to rethink and question yourself, if you are committing any blunder before God and people. I leave this to you!
I happened to meet one small boy (details withheld) at Kohima at my friend's house. He didn't introduce himself but my friend called him and he introduced me his servant. To my curious I only asked where does he send (school) this boy... his answer simply impressed me when he mentioned one of the reputed schools in Kohima in our conversation. I did my best to appreciate him because they are few, yes very few who treat outsiders very lenient and I regarded him as one but to my surprise I met the same boy with Primary School uniform. I don't know if I have legitimacy to speak about but why should we lie just to impress the others? I'm very sure, not only him but many employer commit this same lie to impress others and to gain the respect from the society but I'll proudly say, for all this, we will receive our own rewards when we leave this materialistic world.
I strongly believe, there are many families and individuals who take more care and treat them equally with their children by providing all the basic necessities and imparting well education. They do more than what they promised and to them goes My RESPECT and SALUTE. Please continue to carry the same. But I'm talking about those who can't keep their words and ill treat the poor and helpless kids.
Let us also keep this in our mind, many of you hire those kids not because you don't have any child but you do because you don't want your child to wash cloth, you don't want them to cook, don't want them to serve when your friends visit you or them, you also don't want your children to clean the vessel. But these kids do all the work which you don't want your children to do so are not they also deserved some good gesture from you? Shall we, from now on, commit ourselves to treat them fair, fulfill what we have promised them before we took them from their parents, shall we at least impart them with quality education and not only kitchen work/household, shall we keep them with proper security? If you could mould them in proper shape today, you will receive a smile of blessing from them with a note "Thank you, Uncle, Aunty, Mama". And this will be the greatest day in your life because it will be worth to see someone's life transformed just because of you.
We should uphold Christian Principles as a person born and brought up in Christian dominated state. Ps: This post isn't reflected to any individual but it's in general view. Anyone's hurt by the post, kindly regretted. It's a personal view.
Longkumer Moa: Burning issue, but neglected by many. This is sad predicament in our society. Nearly 55 % of home who are keeping domestic maid servant are not treating the maid servants properly, my personal estimation, not official statistics.
Secondly, most of the parents are entrusting those domestic helpers and maid servants as babysitter, where we need to have second thought, whether they are fit for or trustworthy.
Currently, nearly 75 % of the domestic maid /servants are from our own people/ tribal. There are many issues from both the owners and maid servants side, which need to be viewed with urgency. Of course, many home and house owners are keeping the maid servants better than their own offspring, as cited by Postmaster. In some cases, parents of the maid servants (local) never bother about their children, once they send them off to the different towns, when the problems arise, those parents directly blame house owners without ascertaining the facts and ground reality. In such cases most of the maid servants are indiscipline and unruly behaviour; specially boys.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Naga Blog.
