How an identity based on caste religion or gender is impacting children mind

How an identity based on caste religion or gender is impacting children mind 

(By Neha Soni ) 

Image By:- Darshika Singh

No one is born hating another person because of the colour of skin, caste or religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than it’s opposite.  

                                                                                                  – NELSON MANDELA

Discrimination hurts children in different ways. It hurts not just their health, but their chances for a good and successful life. It is a need for action for all of us. If we care about the health and future of our children we need to take real steps to end caste, religion and gender discrimination and to help and support those who are affected by it. 

Discrimination informs our activities considering we structure opportunities and assign value to people based on our observations of how they look. Biologically, we are truly just one race, sharing 99.9% of our genes no issue what the colour of our skin is or which caste we belong to or what share of the world we come from. But we have found different methods to not just identify differences, but to offend people because of these factors. 

Discrimination grew out of and helped rationalize colonization and slavery. Despite our identical biological factor, people continue to see for differences and allegation remoteness. 

How does discrimination affect a child?

Discrimination and its effects can result in chronic stress for children. And chronic stress can lead to actual changes in hormones that cause inflammation in the body, a marker of chronic illness. Stress that a mother experiences during pregnancy can decree children even post-birth. Despite improvements in health care, discrimination exists in infant mortality.

These days it's important to think approximately chronic stress for the children of immigrant families. 

Even when minority children live with well-equipped facilities & in developed areas, they are often treated differently by teachers. They are more likely to be harshly punished for teen person infractions, less likely to be identified as needing special education, and teachers may underestimate their abilities. And when a professor doesn’t support and try to make you see well in yourself, you are less likely to embrace yourself.  

Children suffer from verbal abuse all hours of the day by discrimination, and the effects can be enduring and can continue through generations. Children who experience discrimination are at large risk for disturbance, depression, oppositional behaviour and appendage mental health problems.

How can we help children?

• Address the elephant in the room: Children yield inequality. They, in addition to, have inherent wisdom of justice and fairness. Instead of pretending that the world is full of unicorns and rainbows, chat with them about the concrete world, if you longing to bring going on a sensitive child. This is not to message that you have to give tension to the child but it’s never too early to mitigate out that not everyone has everything.

• Make them understand what privilege is: Whether its caste, religion or gender, belonging to a certain identity comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. We take caste and gender inequality or religion discrimination for granted and this is the reason that we are so oblivious to discrimination when it happens to others. It's a friendly idea for all of us to know who we are and where we come from.

• Practice respect and let them emulate you: Children learn through observation. If you have a cut off the glass for your domestic in the back or you stay away from the puja room or you don't eat non-veg during your menstrual cycle days, they will amass uphill thinking this caste practices, these notions of purity, are pleasurable. Be delightful to get some unlearning yourself. Also, reach not confuse likeness for idolization.

• Teach them confidence: To stand up for themselves when they are put down by others for who they are and to stand up for others when they see that some injustice is going on. It's not vital to be upon the popular side always. Tell them about people who have gone upon to tweak the world for the better by refusing to follow tradition.

• Introduce diversity: Expose them to swap cultures, communities, and ways of thinking. Most children from privileged sections move in life thinking that the world is homogenous and that discrimination and differences exist on some other planet, not their backyard. It’s the parent’s job to tell them that this is not true.

• Encourage original thinking: Be open to raising a child with an investigative mind, someone who might even ask you and your activities. Obedience is overrated in our culture.

Discrimination is something that exists and we can’t ignore it. Caste isn't limited to Brahmin folk-tales that children read in early age. It is something they will have to deal with as they grow up.

Disclaimer:-

The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Light de Literacy and LDL does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.