Having Child Protective Services and legalising emancipation of minors in India- what are your opinions?
As mentioned in the title, I was curious about how people felt regarding introducing something like CPS in India, and legalising emancipation of minors.
Abuse of children has been so normalised and accepted in the Indian society, especially by parents. Physical, verbal, financial- the long term effects are not considered when children are abused under the guise of "discipline". Let's be honest- if being abusive or violent would be sufficient to discipline people, we wouldn't be having criminals walking the street. A home is not meant to be similar to a prison- children shouldn't be subjected to fear to understand respect and discipline.
The government intervening in familial relations through CPS might seem like an ill fated possibility. Why waste resources on something solvable within the household when there are better things to focus on, right? But who else is volunteering to help these children? We might see them begging on the streets, or being "disciplined" by their parents, we see the bruises and tears and pretend we didn't. Not our business. Not our responsibility. Someone else will help them. When we decide to turn a blind eye to children suffering, who else will help them? At least with government regulation and timely intervention, they might have a chance to get out of that hellhole.
As for emancipation, why should children be forced to live with their abusers? Opportunities must be created to help children legally gain their own freedom from abusive parents and family members. I have come across so many children being absolutely TERRIFIED to return to their homes, afraid that they'll be yelled at or beaten for simple mistakes. Parents are on a power trip with their actions unchecked. Children are forced to live in and adapt to a toxic codependent environment where the word of a parent is the law. They cannot run away, and they cannot be helped by others without parents trying to reclaim their "property". Having the option of emancipation would be really useful to relocate children to more accepting environments. Moreover, if you consider abuse and violence as "cruelty", and a valid ground for divorce amongst grown adults, why should children be subjected to the same standards of what amounts to "cruelty" with no other resort? Their tender age is supposed to provide them with more protection, not strip them of their autonomy.
If people believe inflicting abuse is the only way to discipline kids, maybe such people aren't ready to be parents. Communication must not rely on violence but rather be rooted in understanding. Also, I understand that there are a lot of loopholes with the idea. Yes, there is potential for exploitation. But wouldn't the benefit outweigh the costs in the end? What do you think?
Posted Sep 28, 2025, 1:37 PM UTC