Child Welfare: A Curse?

Today’s children are the fundamentals of our tomorrow. How fast does this statement hold, when these very children are subjected to abuse, mental and physical torture? How strong would are society be in the coming future, when its foundation has been trampled over? Child abuse and forced labour have become a daily routine. The recent incidents of child torture in Dwarka by a doctor couple; and of child abuse in Daryaganj in Arya Orphanage, leave a lot to be questioned.

It is unthinkable to think how the 13 yr old child, Munni was kept as a slave for nearly seven months by a doctor couple in Dwarka. The girl was found on March 29 locked up in the house of Dr Sanjay Verma and Dr Sunita Verma, ever since they went on holiday to Thailand on March 25. The tortures that she endured were even barbaric than medieval standards. She was just given two chapattis a day, and was made to slog like a slave. She was beaten by a wooden ruler and often dragged by her hair, as a means of punishment. After her rescue, she told the Child Welfare Committee the Vermas kept limited food for her while leaving and even put markings on the flour container. The ration only lasted for two days after which she went hungry.

The sexual assault on an 11 yr old girl in Arya Anathalaya near Jama Masjid by the guard of the orphanage brought out attention towards the disturbing thought that children are now not safe in institutions that work for the welfare of these very children. On 23 Dec 2011, the girl suffered with stomach pain and vomiting. Suspecting diarrhoea, she was admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital, but she died on 24 Dec. At first glance, her death seemed natural, however post-mortem report revealed that she had been raped and sexually assaulted. After this, the Jama Masjid police station registered a case and started investigation.

  

Hope for a better future

Raju hurried to and fro, bringing food to the customers. Everyone was busy with their food and the concerns of their lives. No one paid attention to his big luminous eyes, his small dirty hands and his small bare feet that played a staccato on the floor with his constant rushing around. It was always this busy in the morning. A woman in the corner looked up from her coffee cup and noticed the “little hard working man”. Her eyes followed his every movement. She tried to imagine Raju in a school uniform. Would he have made a great student or an average one? What did he want to be when he grew up? What were his hopes and wishes; his most secret desires? And then her mind wandered to other mundane thoughts…like the shopping list in her bag and all the grocery that she had to buy, and like every other person their accepted the fact that Raju was where he was destined to be…or so she thought. She didn’t understand that Raju did think of school, of studying, of doing something worthwhile and being someone some day. The government in recent times had launched such wonderful programs which could fulfill his dream, but this society…would it let him? 

Hunger

Shivering in the cold morning, he gripped the plastic bag tighter. Its weight on his back felt heavy but strangely comforting. Maybe because he had something to hold on to. He had been hungry for the past two days. Begging had been the last option. He didn’t want to beg, didn’t like the look of pity or the look of disgust that people threw his way. His stomach growled in disagreement. He had tried to fill his stomach with the meagre alms he received but that hadn’t been enough. Would it ever be? He shivered again. It was cold, so cold. Didn’t anybody realise that? Had his mother never thought how he would suffer? The feeling of abandonment washed over him for the first time in his entire life of twelve years. That brought a tear to his eyes. Lately everything brought a tear to his eyes. The thought of his mother, of hunger, of poverty, of the cold. Everything. ‘Sonu’ The thought made him shiver with emotion. His friend who had lived with him under the highway. His friend who had collected plastic bags with him. Had it been just yesterday that Sonu had left, left this life of misery. No, he wont go there it was too painful and he had to think of his growling stomach. Clutching the bag tighter he walked about collecting recyclable plastic bags.

The Little Cobbler

There was no cobbler near the tools; I looked about holding my broken sandal in my hand. A small boy, probably aged ten, came and sat in front of the tools. “Will your father be long?” I asked him, thinking he must be the cobbler’s son. “I am the cobbler.” He said, indignantly. “Can you sew this?” I asked him handing the sandal over to him. “Of course, I can sew everything.” He said, taking the sandal from my hand, turning it around in his hand and inspecting it with his ‘professional’ eyes. He chose a needle for his purpose and then began mending my sandal efficiently; but it was, nevertheless, a struggle. My sandal was made of a hard material which required a lot of strength to sew it together. The little boy, diligently, continued his struggle. Screwing his forehead in deep concentration; his little tongue peeping in and out of his mouth, helping him to concentrate. After a few final struggles the job was done. Taking pity on the boy I handed him a ten rupee note, more than what he asked for and refused to take the change. It upset him, “I am no beggar. I do an honest job and ask for an honest amount.” Hesitantly, I took the change thinking 8 rupee wouldn’t have helped him much.

“Don’t you go to school?”

“I used to but my father died and I had to leave school. One day I’ll become as good a cobbler as he was.” With those words circling in my thoughts, I left the little cobbler. 

Celebrating A Women's Individuality

If you carry a torch for gender equality and empowerment of women, people are quick to point out that you are a feminist. But this issue is a deep rooted problem which must be tackled. The government on one hand is working towards the upliftment of women, but a certain group of people in the society are holding others back.

Women of the 21^st century have come a long way compared to their sisters in the past, who were an oppressed class. Today’s women are these multi-tasking beings, an avatar of Goddess Durga herself. Celebrating these qualities in a woman the world celebrates International Women’s Day every 8^th of March. This day is a celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards a woman and also their political and social achievements. The original political and human rights theme of International Women’s day that was designed by the UN was a political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide.

But there are other horrific tales to tell.  Girl infanticide is still prevalent in India. According to a recent report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) up to 50 million girls and women are missing in India's population as a result of systematic sex discrimination. It is shocking to think that a country which worships the female spirit from time immemorial would take part in such a heinous crime. Dowry is another evil custom still practiced in many parts of India. Women are killed and tortured for money. These are only two examples to mention out of the other sexual, physical and mental tortures against women.

The empowerment of women is not only about gender equality, but about the basic rights that they have been denied for centuries. The women of today need to step out of the dictatorial rule of this male dominated society. They need to understand their potential, their individuality and their power because they are the foundation that builds a society.

Abandoned babies in India

Abandonment…how would it feel to be abandoned by one’s own parents? The people who gave birth to one, how can anyone abandon their own flesh and blood? Alone and helpless.

Child abandonment occurs in every community, on every social level, any place.

In India, there is no law as such with punitive provisions for abandonment. Even if looked at internationally, probably Japan is the only place, where there is a law.

Abandoned babies are usually in poor health and are taken by the police to MSV, which then puts them in a government hospital till they are fit again. Then they are registered and handed over to an NGO, where they are looked after for three months - the waiting period - and if no one claims them, they either become wards of the state or the NGO or are put up for adoption.

Hospital authorities say that in many cases young mothers abandon their babies mostly because they are born out of wedlock, to an underage girl, or the baby is a girl. Unlike private hospitals which are very rigid when it comes to admission procedures for deliveries, government hospitals usually require basic information, and they too have their hands full with several deliveries a day.