7 November: Infant Protection Day
The day is also called Baby Safety Day. It aims at spreading awareness about the safety and proper care of infants.
In India, the infant mortality rate is higher than in many other countries due to the lack of health care and basic health services. Hence the government has initiated various schemes for the benefit of infants and the well-being of their mothers.
The first few hours and days of the newborn’s life are a critical period for both bay and mother. Due to lack of awareness, there has not been the expected reduction in infant mortality. Sometimes even basic amenities, such as, ambulance facilities, are lacking. The lives of mothers and babes are often lost on the way. The absence of proper nutrition is another factor. Babies are little and vulnerable. They need parental care and assurance. This gets simpler once you find out about your newborn’s fundamental needs and how to accommodate them.
A sad factor is the still unwelcome attitude towards the girl child. Her life is threatened even while in the womb. When will these attitudes change? When will she be allowed to have a fair chance in life, to enjoy what every child is born to have? Every child is a gift from God and a sign that He loves our world. Every newborn child spells the future and the continuance of our race.
The mother’s milk is like nectar for the child. Unfortunately, today it is becoming fashionable for some women not to breastfeed. With no grandparents or relatives to tend to their child, working mothers in nuclear families resort to a baby-sitter or to baby-care centres. They leave their infants with them while they are at work. The babes are left there at a very tender age and for longer and longer time frames. The child’s basic needs may be provided for. But we are missing the chance to give them the individual attention they need. Both parents and kids are thus deprived of the unique chance that nature gives for mutual bonding and nurturing. That is the privileged time for cuddling, fondling and caring. Once gone, it is lost forever!
21 November: World Fisheries Day
The WFD is a chance to recognize the sea as a food source for millions of humans. Most human settlements, whether villages or cities, are situated near water bodies. This has led to severe coastal pollution and mass fish mortality. The depletion of fish stocks in the vicinity leads to fishing farther and farther away.
Yet one in ten people on the planet rely on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihood.
More than 25% of the world’s dietary protein comes from fish.
Humans consume over 100 million tons of fish annually.
India has over 8,000 kilometres of coastline and over 2 million square kilometres of freshwater resources, making fisheries vital in the economy of the country.
Despite the growth of aquaculture, small-scale fisheries operating in rivers, lakes, wetlands, coral reefs and estuaries in coastal seas will continue to supply most of the fish consumed. Yet these fisheries are frequently overlooked in discussions on the sustainable and equitable use of oceans, seas and inland water bodies. The voice of fishers and workers needs to be heard. There are still too many cases of unacceptable practices, human rights violations and abuses.
Recent UN studies reported that more than two-thirds of the world’s fisheries have been overfished or are fully harvested. More than one third fisheries are in a state of decline. WFD highlights the importance of healthy oceans ecosystems and complete accountability of fishers, discouraging them from targeting at-risk species, overfishing and mechanization.
But there are reasons for optimism too. Fish diversity determines the health of seas, lakes, ponds and rivers. Extensive new research has demonstrated that Fish Stock Regeneration is possible if sustainable conditions are created. An abundance of fish will help even coral reefs to recover. These have suffered because of warming and plastic pollution, leading to coral bleaching and a massive loss of biodiversity. The regeneration of fish stocks can give these reefs a much-needed boost.
Sr Esme da Cunha FDCC
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