India's shame: 5,000 child deaths a day

New Delhi: For millions of children in India, childhood is an elusive dream, as a UN report has revealed that 5,000 children below five die every day.

It may be a shocking statistic but the United Nation's Status of the World's Children 2009 says, it isn't a losing battle just yet; it just needs a little push and a lot of political will.

"We must save childhood. It is the best," said V Prabhakaran, a former child labourer.

Here's India's shabby report card:

• Around 5,000 children below 5 die every day in India, the highest among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
• 13 million children below 14 are engaged in hard labour
• 45,000 children go missing ever year. Most of them are sold
• Over half (47 per cent) girls marry before they turn 18

Apart from widespread hunger and deaths caused by preventable diseases like diarrhoea, child labour and child marriages are taking their toll. Many children drop out of school by the time they reach the secondary level.

"The only way we can make a difference is through the community. We have to use the anganwadi workers. the ASHAs and now the USHAs in Bihar to reach out to people. If you can get food, healthcare services and education to people then we can expect a behavioural change," said Karen Hulshof, UNICEF representative in India.

The government has massive programmes like the ICDS and NRHM, but there continues to be a big gap. Children belonging to extremely poor communities who need it the most fail to get any of the services.