Child Abuse in India: Sid Harth
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Our crimes against our children
Praveen Swami
The truth India has shied away is that former Haryana DGP S.P.S.
Rathore’s crime was, by the standards of our society, utterly
ordinary. Photo: Akhilesh Kumar
By the grim standards of the dystopia India’s children inhabit, S.P.S.
Rathore’s crime was utterly ordinary.
In December last, Indians watched in outrage as S.P.S. Rathore, former
Haryana Director-General of Police, smirked at the end of court
proceedings which saw him receive a six-month prison sentence for
sexually abusing a teenager 19 years ago.
Not far from the Chandigarh courtroom where Rathore was convicted, a
panchayat in Rohtak gathered to discuss the fate of a seven-year-old
girl who had been sexually abused by a retired schoolteacher. The
panchayat ordered that the hair of the perpetrator, Sushil Kumar, be
shaved off — but asked the victim’s family not to inform the police.
It was only three weeks later, after Kumar’s sons threatened the
family, that the matter was reported to the police. The child’s story
was buried in inside pages of local newspapers; the police say
evidentiary issues render it unlikely the perpetrator will ever be
punished.
Kumar is not the only paedophile who has not received national
attention. Few know the story of a two-year-old raped by a
construction contractor in Bangalore, a 10-year-old girl from Valsad
raped by her uncle or the Latur teenager raped by three young men in
her village and hanged from a jamun tree. Part of the reason Rathore’s
appalling crime drew attention was that it fitted neatly with tropes
of villainy familiar from pop-culture: among them, uniformed criminals
immune from the law and powerful politicians who guarantee them
impunity.
But the truth India has shied away from these past weeks is this:
Rathore’s crime was, by the standards of our society, utterly
ordinary. For the most part, India’s children live in a nightmare; a
dystopia founded on our collective complicity and silence. By the
Government of India’s account, more than two-thirds of Indian children
experience beatings in their homes, schools, workplace and government
institutions — beatings which, if conducted in prison cells, would
count as torture. Every second child in India, the government says,
also faces one or more forms of sexual abuse.
Yet, no government has found the time or energy to enact a law against
the abuse of children — leaving the authorities, when they can bestir
themselves to deliver justice, to respond using legalisation intended
to prevent prostitution, beggary, trafficking and rape. There is no
institutional machinery to investigate schools, homes and children’s
workplace for sexual and physical abuse. There are no police officers
trained in the special skills needed to deal with child abuse. Barring
a handful of organisations and individuals working to address the
needs of abused children, there is no resource which victims and their
families can turn to for help.
Terrifying facts
In 2007, the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development released
the thoughtful —and terrifying — Study on Child Abuse in India. More
than 12,000 children were polled to arrive at an empirical picture of
the scale of beatings and sexual crimes that Indian children endure.
Fifty-three per cent of the children said they had encountered “one or
more forms of sexual abuse;” 68.99 per cent said they had suffered
physical abuse, including beatings. More than a fifth reported severe
sexual abuse, including assault, having been compelled to fondle
adults’ private parts, exhibit themselves or be photographed nude.
Well over half of those reporting severe sexual abuse were boys, the
study found.
Popular wisdom holds that sexual abuse takes place when children are
in environments outside the supposedly safe confines of their homes
and schools. That, the study found, was simply not true. Fifty-three
per cent of children not going to school said they had been sexually
abused in their family environment. Just under half said they had
encountered sexual abuse at their schools. These figures,
interestingly, were about the same as children in institutional care
who said they had been sexually abused — 47.08 per cent. Most
vulnerable were children in workplaces, 61.31 per cent of whom had
been sexually abused.
Boys in all but four of 13 States — Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and Goa — were found to be more at risk of sexual abuse
than girls. In Delhi, a staggering 65.6 per cent of the boys reported
that they had been sexually abused.
Most at risk of serious sexual abuse, the study found, were children
between 11 and 18 — although the group between six and 10 also
reported significant levels of assault. Analysed by age group, the
study states, sexual abuse was reported by “63.64 per cent child
respondents in the age group of 15-18 years, 52.43 per cent in the age
group of 13-14 years and 42.06 per cent in the age group of 5-12
years.” Assam, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh were found to have the highest
levels of sexual abuse, with Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Goa recording
the lowest.
We know, from separate studies, that the use of children in
prostitution is also widespread. In their 2005 study, Trafficking in
Women and Children in India, S. Sen and P.M. Nair estimated that there
are up to half-a-million girl children from across the South Asian
region working as prostitutes in India.
Elsewhere in the world, the existence of well-functioning justice
mechanisms — and an open public debate on child sexual abuse — seems
to have helped contain the problem to at least some extent. In the
United Kingdom, a 2000 study by the National Study for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Children found that about 16 per cent of children
experienced sexual abuse before the age of 16. In the United States,
one in four girls and one in six boys reported similar experiences.
Horrific as these figures are, they are still well below the levels
the Government of India’s study suggests are prevalent in our
country.
Victims of violence
Depressingly, sexual abuse is only part of a wider gamut of violence.
Sixty-nine per cent of the children polled reported having been
physically abused — a term the authors of the Study defined as
behaviour manifesting itself in kicking, slapping or corporal
punishment at homes, schools, institutions and workplaces. In all the
13 States covered by the study, the incidence of physical abuse
directed at children was above 50 per cent — a sign of just how
widespread and legitimate the use of force is considered across the
country. More than 80 per cent of children in Assam, Mizoram, Delhi
and Uttar Pradesh reported physical abuse.
Most of the victims of physical abuse, the Study found, were very
young children. Forty-eight per cent of the respondents who reported
physical abuse were between five and 12 years old, while 26.29 per
cent were 13 or 14. Older children, aged between 15 and 18, seemed to
be targeted less for violence; just over a quarter reported
encountering abuse. Boys reported encountering violence more often
than girls in all States except Gujarat and Kerala. “In all age
groups, an overwhelming majority of children (65.01%) reported being
beaten at school, which means that two out of three children are
victims of corporal punishment.”
The findings of the Study, its authors noted, were broadly
corroborated by several other independent studies. Maulana Azad
Medical College researcher Deepti Pagare found that over three-fourths
of children in Delhi’s Child Observation Home had reported being
subjected to physical abuse. Signs of abuse were found on the bodies
of about half the children studied by Dr. Pagare. Fathers made up over
half the reported perpetrators, and Dr. Pagare found a significant
association between physical abuse of children and domestic violence
in homes as well as substance abuse. Save the Children and Tulir, in a
2006 study conducted in West Bengal, found that almost three-quarters
of child domestic workers had been physically abused. In 41.5 per cent
of cases, the perpetrator was a member of the employers’ family.
What needs to be done? For one, India’s criminal justice system simply
doesn’t have either the legal instruments or police infrastructure to
deal with crimes against children. Despite calls from campaigners and
child-rights groups, India is yet to pass a specific law on child
sexual abuse — a legislative failure that makes prosecution in many
situations almost impossible. Early this year, Punjab and Haryana High
Court judges Mukul Mudgal and Jasbir Singh announced that they
intended considering guidelines for the prosecution of child abuse
cases. However, thoroughgoing criminal justice reforms will be needed
for such efforts to yield results. Just 0.034 per cent of the Plan
expenditure in 2006-2007 — an appalling figure — was committed to
child protection.
In 1974, the National Policy for Children declared children a “supreme
national asset.” No country in which two-thirds of children report
beatings, and half experience sexual abuse, can make that claim with
honesty. We must rip away the shrouds of silence that conceal the
sheer pervasiveness of child abuse in our society. Our silence and
inaction against the paedophiles in our homes, schools and
neighbourhoods make us complicit in the horrific crimes being
perpetrated against our children.
Comments:
Child abuse has been going on for years all over the developing
countries and in developed countries as well. How would you go about
overcoming this issue? Several possibilities come to mind, such as
family planning, free primary education, etc. I just want to say that
it is a disturbing situation but just by blaming the Govt. will not
help alleviate it.
from: Ravi
Posted on: Jan 21, 2010 at 08:33 IST
And the figures cited are from the government. Actual figures would
actually be much higher. Despicable and appalling.
from: Sudhanshu
Posted on: Jan 21, 2010 at 11:52 IST
The article is superb.Not only the Government, the private sector
organisations, NGOs, Social warfare organisations can also play an
important role to prevent crimes against children.
from: vasudev Dhakad
Posted on: Jan 21, 2010 at 16:25 IST
I am simply appalled at the facts and figures reported from government
sources by the author. The earlier corrective measures are taken the
better it will be. Can we call ourselves civilizes? I hold my head in
shame, as I am a part of it.
from: Prof.P S Sawhney
Posted on: Jan 21, 2010 at 16:39 IST
Nice article. I think indians are still in the first stages of
accepting the reality of our society, the denial mode. It has to pass
through anger, depression and acceptance.
There is a long way ahead.
from: Srinivas
Posted on: Jan 22, 2010 at 11:54 IST
I should really appreciate this article.As mentioned it is must to
make the law more severe against this child abuse. I just wanted to
say a thing, there are lots of people who are ready to fight for the
rights for children who are tortured like this but most of them dont
know the way.It will be good if there is a proper plan to help them.
Especially students should come forward and initiate the process of
eradicating the problem.This article is a real eye opener.
from: Radhika.P
Posted on: Jan 23, 2010 at 00:44 IST
I would search for an option where the message reaches the children
without disturbing them. There are organisations to create awareness
towards child rights, and among the victims, but I doubt if there are
any measures taken for prevention. Primarily the parents should know
how to answer their kid's queries related to these topics with
sensitivity, which can be the starting point.
from: Suriyagandhi.H
Posted on: Jan 25, 2010 at 12:27 IST
http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article83387.ece
...and I am Sid Harth
chhotemianinshallah
Political will necessary for protecting child rights: judge
EXPRESSING CONCERN: Kerala High Court judge Kurian Joseph inaugurates
a national workshop on ‘Child sexual abuse: law, policy and
implementation’ in Thrissur on Tuesday. Staff Reporter
‘There is gross under-reporting of crimes against children’
Thrissur: Justice Kurian Joseph, judge of the Kerala High Court, has
said that lack of appropriate mechanism to implement the laws make
children vulnerable to abuse. Addressing a national workshop on ‘Child
Sexual Abuse: Law, Policy and Implementation’ at the Government Law
College, here on Tuesday, he said though the Constitution contained
enough provisions for the protection of the dignity and rights of
children, political will was lacking to put them into practice.
“Every citizen should take a proactive role to reach out to the
vulnerable, abused and the marginalised sections,” he said. “We claim
to be a welfare State. But whose welfare are we protecting when we
fail to provide safety to our children?”
District and Sessions Judge B. Kemal Pasha said the legal system was
not sufficiently equipped to tackle child abuse cases. Quoting a
survey done in Uttar Pradesh recently, he said 80 per cent of the
accused in child abuse cases were being acquitted by the courts.
“Delay in the disposal of cases forces the victims to relive the
traumatic experience of the abuse again and again,” he said.
Thomas George, Communication specialist, UNICEF, said that the speedy
disposal of case was more important than severity of the punishment in
child abuse cases. Seema Bhaskaran, State Project Director, Kerala
Mahila Samakhya, called for separate legislation on Child abuse.
Indian Penal Code treated child abuse victims as adult persons, she
noted. “There is gross under-reporting of crimes against children.
FIRs are often distorted by the police. As a result during trials, FIR
and courtroom statements do not match, making the case weak. The
complainants are often discouraged citing possible social stigma
against victims,” she pointed out. Sandhya Raju, Director of Human
Rights Law Network, Kerala, said there should be specific guidelines
for the trial of child abuse cases. “The major challenge before the
victim is to prove the crime during the trial. The children often find
it difficult to explain in correct language. The court procedures
should be made child-friendly.”
Farida Ansari, member of Child Welfare Committee, said that the
Juvenile Justice Boards and Child Welfare Committees should be given
more powers to handle child abuse cases. The two-day workshop was
organised by the Government Law College in association with Kerala
State Legal Services Authority, Human Rights Law Network and Child
Rights Resource Centre.
http://beta.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article92671.ece
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Child abuse cases on the rise: judge
CHENNAI: The criminal justice system has to do a lot more while
conducting the trial of cases involving child victims, stressed Madras
High Court Chief Justice and a retired Supreme Court Judge.
They were speaking at the fourth annual Tulir-Centre for the
Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse lecture on ‘Improving the
experiences of the child victims and witnesses in the criminal justice
system’ here on Saturday.
In his address, Arijit Pasayat, retired Judge, Supreme Court, said
there had been an increasing number of cases of abuse of children,
rape being the worst crime of all.
In most cases, courts were helpless, as witnesses did not come
forward.
Quoting newspaper reports, he said the National Commission, set up to
protect the rights of children in the last one year, received about
700 complaints.
The Judge said there was no severe punishment for offenders of
repeated crimes. Though there can be scope for repentance, he wanted
punishment to be more deterrent.
“Rape destroys the entire psychology of a child. There are courts
dealing with such offences, but such cases must be dealt severely and
sternly. We need to have sensitised judges and social advocates,” he
said.
Talking about improving the atmosphere in trial courts, he said courts
should play a purposeful role as delay in trial of such cases would
result in threat to the victim. Chief Justice of Madras High Court
H.L.
Gokhale in his presidential address said Tamil Nadu was better than
other States as trials were completed in two years. He said the
experience of the child while interrogating also must be improved.
“The social justice department and public bodies should better the
treatment mechanism,” he said.
http://beta.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/article89418.ece
chhotemianinshallah
‘Don’t abuse children’
Correspondent
Karwar: The Deputy Director of the Department of Women and Child
Development, Uttara Kannada, in a circular has directed teachers
against subjecting schoolchildren to physical torture. The department
will organise a public hearing in the month of December to redress
such cases of child abuse.
The circular has said people can file complaints against child abuse
with the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights,
Bangalore.
http://beta.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article89050.ece
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Find the right way ahead
PAROMITA PAIN
Make a noise : Do not employ children. Photo : Sushanta Patronobish
Related
PHOTOS
There are kids out there who are not as fortunate as you. Do you know
about them? Do you feel you can do something to help them?
You might think math and history are gross violations of rights. But
Human Rights is something more than being made to do homework and
bathe regularly. As the UNICEF has declared, “Children have rights as
human beings and also need special care and protection.”
Addressing wrongs
Unity is strength and nothing proves this better than the CRY assisted
Children's Collectives, formed in villages and areas where young
people are most vulnerable. Groups of children get together regularly
to build solidarity among themselves, understand their environment and
the struggles of their families and draw strength from each other to
be more confident as individuals.
The Young Pillar Children's Club, formed with young people and World
Vision, with the help of a Women's Self Help Group (SHG) rescued eight
children from bonded child labour.
These children were working in beedi and match factories as bonded
labourers because their parents had mortgaged them to the factory
owners for money.
Recently a 10 children facilitated by World Vision India and India
Alliance for Child Rights, presented a children's manifesto of demands
to ensure their Rights to Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi.
It's truly your right to ensure your rights. Unite for the cause!
The United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child confers certain
basic rights on children universally. They include the Right to:
Survival - to life, health, nutrition, name and nationality
Development - to education, care, leisure, recreation
Protection - from exploitation, abuse, neglect
Participation - in expression, information, thought and religion
Right to Education
Anita (13) comes from the Baikaria tribe, in a remote village in
Jharkhand. Till a few years back, the 22 families living in the
village did not even know that the empty structure that stood outside
their village since 1972 was a primary school. No one attended it and
there were no teachers either. SATHEE, a CRY supported NGO, worked in
that area and gave Anita and other kids 500 postcards to write to the
Divisional Commissioner (DM) and the district education officials
about the non functional school. No response was received for two
months. So, Anita led a children's rally to meet the DM and other
education officials.
Thanks to the children's efforts two new teachers were appointed.
Anita supported the teachers by talking to parents and students about
exam dates and distributing school books. She influenced others
(specially working children) to join and remain in school.
Currently as the leader of the District Level Children's Parliament,
in addition to her own school work, she continues to discuss
education, health and child labour issues with other children. Her
inspiration? “Children can turn the world upside down (in the right
direction that is!)”
Right to education
Asmina was two when she came from Purniya in Bihar with her parents to
Delhi in search of work. To make ends meet, Asmina and five other
siblings, became rag pickers. Asmina would see children, dressed in
clean clothes going to school. It was a world far removed from the
dangerous dumps she had to scour every day. Buts she was determined to
study. Her first school was the non formal centre started by Bal Vikas
Dhara that served as a bridge for the never-been-to-school children.
She did well enough to be sent to the municipal school where she was
admitted to class two.
Today, Asmina is in Std V. Her family is only too happy to see the
girls off to school everyday, instead of the garbage dumps. “I want to
be a teacher when I grow up,” she says.
No to child abuse
At 13, Murti, said ‘no' to most things her parents suggested. When her
parents insisted that she get married, she refused. She convinced her
teacher to help her. She is an active member of the ‘Kishori
Vahini' (adolescent girl's group). Her parents were poor, but Murti
had her “Teacher didi” to advise her. Together they convinced her
parents and today Murti is studying to be a teacher!
Sandhya Krishnan says :
Understand what your rights are and what constitutes a violation.
Being asked to help at home does not constitute a Rights violation.
When your parents give you chores, it is intended to train you to
become a responsible adult.
Always remember Rights and Responsibilities go hand in hand.
Show initiative. Organise children's clubs and discuss issues with
your friends before talking to an adult.
Make parents aware of what they might be doing wrong through
acceptable means like songs, poems, plays or stories.
Raise your voice against behaviour you think is abusive but do so in a
manner that is not self-destructive.
Please understand that in the case of academics and parental pressure
to score more marks, you need to keep up your end of the deal by
studying and working hard.
Don't aggravate the situation by being defiant in the face of parental
anger.
Ban child labour
All she could dream about was football. But growing up in a slum in
North Chenna, Shakti (6) was sent to work in a shop that packaged and
sold fish. When she got home after work, a quick wash would suffice
before she ran off to school and to play football. However, the
family's poverty took its toll and Shakti was forced to drop out.
She joined the Slum Children Sports Talent Education Development
Society (SCSTEDS), an organisation that gives children like her ,a
chance to play football. This they believe is the first step in
getting to know the children, many of whom are school drop outs.
Shakti soon became a star footballer. Soon, Shakti was included in the
under-14 State level football team. In the past four years, Shakti has
played at both district and state level matches.
http://beta.thehindu.com/life-and-style/kids/article57932.ece
chhotemianinshallah
Creating awareness
MADHUMITHA SRINIVASAN
Kids joined hands with adults as they participated in a special run to
create awareness about child abuse.
The International Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse on November
19, gave the members of Madras Hash House Harriers, a running club, an
opportunity to contribute their bit for the cause. Dressed in red,
either their own attire or sporting the red Tulir “Enough is Enough” t-
shirts, the runners were all raring to go on a trail set from
Wonderland Cafe through parts of Anna Nagar, the Tower Park and back
again.
What made this run special was the fact that the members were joined
by their children, who in Hash circles are lovingly referred to as
‘Horrors'. Though outnumbered by the adults, the few children who were
present were all set to run as well. The rain kept most of the kids
who had promised to turn up indoors!
“I think it's nice that we are doing this run. There are also plans to
distribute flyers that talk about child abuse to people we meet along
the run and spread awareness about this issue”, said Chloë, a VII
grade student at the American International School, before the
commencement of the run, though she didn't seem too pleased about
being labelled a ‘horror'. The run was titled ‘Horror's Day Out' —
made special this time by their contribution to the cause.
http://beta.thehindu.com/life-and-style/kids/article57939.ece
chhotemianinshallah
Exploring ‘uncomfortable’ truths
Madhur Tankha
The Hindu Bollywood filmmaker Onir. Photo: Anu Pushkarna
His fascination for the dream factories of Bollywood has given us
films like “My Brother …Nikhil”and “Sorry Bhai”. Filmmaker Onir speaks
about his experiences in life and his upcoming film highlighting
various social issues.
For him, filmmaking is a tool to create awareness about contemporary
issues plaguing our society. Bollywood filmmaker Onir insists an
audience willing to explore the uncomfortable truth about the plight
of refugees, homosexuals and child abuse victims exists in our
country.
The dream factories of the Hindi film industry fascinated him even as
a child. “To pursue my goal, I went to Berlin to hone my editing
skills. After the course, I was keen on making a socially enlightening
film. But producing a film on social issue is a risky proposition. I
was increasingly getting frustrated that I couldn’t fulfil my dream
because there were no takers for my subject in Bollywood. Finally lady
luck smiled on me when ordinary people and talented artistes who could
relate to my story agreed to finance my project.”
To raise funds for his first film “My Brother …Nikhil” which explored
the subject of gays and AIDS, Onir gave details of his film on the
Facebook. He invited bloggers to become co-owner of the project by
giving donations. Some gave money, others chipped in through other
means. A lady from Bangalore said she couldn’t give money but would
cook food for the entire unit for two days.
Onir’s upcoming project “I Am” has four short stories. To reach out to
a large number of film buffs, he has used some of the best mainstream
actors, scintillating music and divergent stories. Even if 10 per cent
of the audience feels that the movie connects with their lives, it
would succeed in creating awareness on these issues, he says.
The first story of “I Am” focuses on the plight of Kashmiri Pandits
who have been driven out of their homeland. “Paradoxically, there is a
huge silence over this issue even though 300,000 Pandits have been
forced to abandon their homeland. Juhi Chawla plays a Kashmiri Pandit
who has lost her home and identity, while Manisha Koirala is a Muslim
who finds living in a militant-dominated Kashmir a nightmarish
experience. Juhi is such a sensitive person that she decided to pump
her own money into my film.”
The second story of “I Am” is about the gay community that is
intimidated by the police even though the High Court struck down that
provision of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that deals with
homosexuality. “Rahul Bose agreed to play a homosexual character.
Anurag Kashyap, who was himself a victim of child abuse, called me up
that he would play the molester.”
Onir’s third story is about sexually abused children. “Statistics
reveal that a staggering 53 per cent of our children have been
sexually abused. Sanjay Suri is playing an adult who was sexually
molested as a child. The film shows the psychological effect on the
victim. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap volunteered to do anything to support
my film. So I gave him the role of the perpetrator that nobody was
willing to play.”
The fourth story is about problems existing in NGOs.
Though Onir has Bengali roots, he grew up in Bhutan where his father
opened an educational institution. “My family was there for three
decades but one fine day we were asked to leave. Suddenly we were
unwelcome and my dad was asked why he cannot recruit a local as a
principal. So I could relate to the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits who
were thrown out of the Valley for no fault of theirs. I went to
Srinagar for my upcoming film and found that the young don’t know a
thing about their earlier neighbours. I feel that truth must be told
even if it is uncomfortable.”
http://beta.thehindu.com/arts/movies/article57417.ece
chhotemianinshallah
Church, police “covered up child sex abuse”
Henry McDonald
Abuse of children by clergy from 1975 to 2004. The Pope has been urged
to aplogise for clergy’s behaviour.
Ireland’s police force colluded with the Catholic church in covering
up clerical child abuse in Dublin on a huge scale, according to a
damning report on decades of sex crimes committed by the country’s
priests.
The devastating three-volume report on the sexual and physical abuse
of children by the clergy in Ireland’s capital from 1975 to 2004
accuses four former archbishops, a host of clergy and senior members
of the Garda Siochana (Ireland’s police force) of covering up the
scandal.
It found that the “maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal,
the protection of the reputation of the church and the preservation of
its assets” was more important than justice for the victims of sexual
and physical abuse.
Four former Archbishops in Dublin - John Charles McQuaid, who died in
1973, Dermot Ryan, who died in 1984, Kevin McNamara, who died in 1987,
and retired Cardinal Desmond Connell - were found to have failed to
report their knowledge of child sexual abuse to the Garda from the
1960s to the 1980s. But the report added that all the archbishops of
the diocese in the period covered by the inquiry were aware of some
complaints.
The report, published on Thursday by Irish Justice Minister Dermot
Ahern also concluded that the vast majority of priests turned a “blind
eye” to abuse, though some individuals did bring complaints to their
superiors, which were not acted upon.
The report, commissioned by the government, strongly criticises the
Garda and says senior members of the force regarded priests as being
outside their investigative remit. The relationship between some
senior gardai and priests and bishops in Dublin was described as
“inappropriate”.
Rather than investigate complaints from children, gardai (police
officers) simply reported the matter to the Dublin Catholic diocese,
the report says. The Garda is accused of connivance with the church in
stifling at least one complaint of abuse, and letting the alleged
perpetrator flee the country.
Mr. Ahern said there should be no hiding place for the abusers even if
they wore a clerical collar. “The persons who committed these dreadful
crimes - no matter when they happened - will continue to be pursued.”
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre welcomed the report, saying it was
“another acknowledgment of the abject failure of our society to take
care of our children”.
The report states senior clerical figures covered up the abuse over
nearly three decades and that the structures and rules of the church
facilitated that cover-up. It also says that state authorities
facilitated the cover-up by allowing the church to be beyond the reach
of the law.
The Murphy Commission of Inquiry into the abuse of children in Dublin
identified 320 people who complained of child sexual abuse between
1975 and 2004. It also states that since May 2004, 130 complaints
against priests operating in the Dublin archdiocese have been made.
The report details the cases of 46 priests guilty of abuse, as a
representative sample of 102 priests within its remit. But it
concludes that there was no direct evidence of an organised paedophile
ring among priests in the Dublin archdiocese, though it says there
were some worrying connections. One priest admitted abusing more than
100 children. Another said he had committed abuse every two weeks for
more than 25 years, it said.
The report states that it was not until 1995 that the archdiocese
began to notify the civil authorities of complaints of clerical abuse.
The commission concludes that in the light of this and other facts,
every bishop’s primary loyalty was to the church itself.
The Garda current commissioner, Fachtna Murphy, said the report made
for “difficult and disturbing reading, detailing as it does many
instances of sexual abuse and failure on the part of both church and
state authorities to protect victims.”
Mr. Murphy apologised to victims who did not receive the response and
protection they were entitled to.
Pope Benedict was challenged on Friday to go to Ireland and apologise
for his clergy’s behaviour. A victims’ rights campaigner called on the
Pope to visit and say sorry for “the betrayal of children” by those
who were meant to show them love. John Kelly, of Irish Survivors of
Child Abuse, said only a papal visit would exonerate the worldwide
church of culpability in the abuse scandals.
- © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2009
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/international/article56055.ece
chhotemianinshallah
Child rights, a mirage for millions of kids
AP
Twenty years after the United Nations adopted the Convention on the
Rights of the Child; multitudes of children across the globe are still
suffering from poverty, abuse and disease.
AP Arun Kumar plays cricket in the foyer of the Apna Ghar shelter for
boys, in New Delhi. Related
PHOTOS
Arun Kumar was born to disabled parents, beaten by his grandparents,
ran away from home, got a job in a garment factory and had all his
savings stolen by the police.
He was only 11.
Today, at 13, he shares a cramped, dingy shelter with 63 other
runaways and former street kids in New Delhi.
He is one of the lucky ones.
Twenty years after the United Nations adopted the Convention on the
Rights of the Child; multitudes of children across the globe are still
suffering from poverty, abuse and disease.
Each year, 4 million babies die before they are a month old, 150
million children are engaged in child labour, more than 500 million
have been affected by violence and 51 million have fallen so far
through the cracks they have not even had their births registered,
according to the United Nations.
In China, infant mortality rates are five times higher in rural areas
than in the wealthier cities. In Mexico, more than a million children
under the age of 14 are working.
The U.N. convention, adopted Nov. 20, 1989 and ratified by every
country except the United States and Somalia, calls on nations to
protect children from abuse and sexual exploitation, reduce child
mortality and give children access to health care and education.
Somalia’s transitional government announced Friday it intends to
become a party to the convention. Rozanne Chorlton, UNICEF
representative to the war-torn Horn of Africa nation, said the
government’s commitment comes at a crucial time when “no child in
central south Somalia has had the experience of living in peace.”
President Bill Clinton’s administration signed the convention but
never submitted it to the U.S. Senate for ratification because of
claims that it infringed on the rights of parents and was inconsistent
with State and local laws. But President Barack Obama says he wants to
try again for ratification.
There have been successes. Fewer young children are dying or underfed,
more are attending school and getting vaccinated and dozens of
countries have adopted laws recognizing child rights.
In Russia, an epidemic of homeless children in the 1990s was beaten
back by a concerted government effort. In South Africa, some children
infected with HIV are getting lifesaving medicines that were out of
reach only a few years ago.
The convention “has had positive impacts across the world, but we need
to say it hasn’t had as much impact as we’d have hoped,” said Jennifer
Grant, a child rights specialist with Save the Children in London.
“Children are not a political priority for governments.”
At the U.N.’s official commemoration of the 20th anniversary,
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told more than 300 diplomats, activists
and young people at U.N. headquarters in New York that realizing the
rights in the convention “remains a huge challenge.”
“Children must be at the heart of our thinking on climate change, on
the food crisis and on the other challenges we are addressing on a
daily basis,” he said.
In her travels, UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman said she has
spoken to girls in eastern Congo who have been raped, to boys who were
abandoned by their families as witches in central Africa, and to a
girl forced into marriage at the age of 10 to a man over 30.
She urged people to remember “the unspeakable violations of rights
that occur almost daily to the most innocent of innocents, children.”
Mayra Avellar, 18, who lives in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, was on
hand to address the crowd.
“I stand for the beggars, I stand for the 8-years-old boy who died at
8 a.m. when he was going to the bakery, I stand for those who die
without even knowing why,” she said.
Some of the worst abuses play out every day on the dusty streets of
India, where government and aid groups’ efforts to help children are
overwhelmed by the staggering poverty and the dislocation of millions
of rural villagers who flood the cities in search of jobs.
Two million children under 5 die every year, more than 20 million are
not in primary school and child marriage is still a routine in many
parts of India. Children, some as young as 3 and clutching baby
siblings, work the traffic-clogged streets begging for money. Others
are constantly on the move, living on the construction sites where
their parents work, with no access to education.
Arun was born in Himachal Pradesh to parents who cannot hear or speak,
and grew up in his grandparents’ crowded house. He was so ignored that
his family thought he had inherited his parents’ disability, until at
age 7 his grandfather sat down with Arun and taught him to speak.
As he grew older, Arun, a short, slight boy, began skipping school and
fighting with his younger cousins, who teased him about his parents
and his own late development. His grandparents started abusing him and
one Sunday — after he was beaten for losing a family goat when he went
off to play — he took 2,000 rupees he had collected over nearly three
years and fled to Delhi.
Many runaways become street children, picking pockets, begging or
scavenging to survive. Others end up in the sex trade. But Arun had
the good fortune to befriend an older boy on the bus, who brought Arun
to a garment factory in New Delhi, where they both got jobs.
Arun was trained on a sewing machine and stitched together jeans. He
was fed, given a place to stay and wasn’t beaten, he said.
After a year, he collected his 13,000 rupees in earnings, gave 2,000
to his friend, and quit. He bought new clothes, shoes, a small radio,
and treated himself to a lavish meal of chicken curry and rice, he
said.
At the end of the day, a police officer confronted the 11-year-old,
frisked him and stole his remaining 9,000 rupees, he said.
Arun was then sent to a shelter that he compares to a prison. Finally,
after insisting on going back to school, he was moved to a boys’
shelter run by the Salaam Baalak Trust in Paharganj, a slum.
Now he lives with 64 other boys in a gray room on the second floor of
a dank community centre. A world map is painted on one wall.
At mealtime, the boys roll out long mats on the floor, sit cross-
legged and eat. During the day, they pull out desks and take classes.
In the evening it becomes a recreational room and at night, they
scatter the mattresses across the floor and sleep.
“This is their home, and we are their family,” said Anjani Tiwari, the
shelter’s director.
The children get supplemental schooling and vocational training at the
centre, and some have gone on to work as photographers, tailors and
cafe workers, he said.
Everything that is Arun’s — clothes, books, a karate poster, a broken
camera — is jammed into a tiny rusted locker hidden in the corner of a
stairwell.
“I’m going to show you one of my favourite things,” he said with a
smile. He dug through his locker for several minutes, but couldn’t
find what he was looking for — a small toy elephant.
“Maybe I left it outside the locker last night and someone took it, or
maybe I lost it,” he said quietly.
http://beta.thehindu.com/life-and-style/society/article52195.ece
Sid Harth
STAFF WRITER 23:36 HRS IST
Ahmedabad, Feb 11 (PTI)
Children in Gujarat are being deprived of their right to survival,
development and protection against exploitation, a report claims.
The study titled 'Children's Alternative Report' has been prepared by
children themselves, under the guidance of the Child Right Collective
Gujarat (CRCG), a network of civil society groups working for child
rights.
"The data for the report has been collected from over 700 children
from six districts in different regions of the state which include
Surendranagar, Bhavnagar, Ahmedabad, Kutch, Vadodara and Patan," CRCG
coordinator Parul Sheth said.
"The analysis of the data collected shows that children are being
deprived of their right to survival, development, protection against
exploitation and participation," she added.
"The findings also indicate that there are inadequate number of
primary health centres in the rural and urban areas because of which
children have to travel long distances for medical help," Sheth said.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/513663_Guj-children-deprived-of-their-rights--says-report
Sunday, January 31, 2010
watchoutkid.com
Our latest iniative which will keep evolving
While rapid innovative advances in information and communications have
created an exciting world for anyone with access to the related
services and offered unparalleled opportunities, it has also had an
immeasurable impact on the sexual exploitation of children
Various forums and groups randomly but routinely tend to report on
adult content websites and the impact on children and young people
accessing them. However there is hardly any scrutiny or understanding
of an issue which warrants our immediate attention - online “grooming”
of children and young people by potential child sex abusers leading to
usually risky and dangerous situations - and which is now part of the
recently amended IT Act.
We need to understand that at any given moment thousands of potential/
child sex abusers are making contact online with unsuspecting children
and young people, native and completely reliant on ICT’s, with the
intention of further exploitation. And this situation though seemingly
unimaginable is happening alarmingly on our doorsteps, in India.
However considering the proliferation of the internet and telephony
and ease of access, the demographics of the end user of the new
technologies along with the socio-cultural milieu which frowns on
healthy interpersonal interaction among young people, the platform new
technologies offer are easy alternatives without an understanding of
the potential risks and dangers involved.
This presents an even more alarming scenario with the Govt of India’s
recent National Study on Child Abuse, indicating a high prevalence of
sexual abuse, along with the fact that in 2009, India was placed 4th
among internet users worldwide.
Issues of online exploitation such as cyberbullying, sexual
victimization etc., are a wide-spread problem today, but are not fully
understood or addressed. We believe that children and young people
need to know more about the potential risks and threats online and how
to deal with them, to be safe offline
No country is immune from this new form of child sexual exploitation,
and while it will take a concerted effort from governments, law
enforcement, and industry to ensure that the world’s children are
protected, it is the civil society efforts that are fundamental in
order to effectively address this growing phenomenon.
Posted by Tulir - CPHCSA at 7:03 AM 2 comments
Reactions:
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Please Disturb - And about time!!!
Hotels, airlines to fight child sex tourism
New Delhi January 8, 2010
Hotels and airlines will no longer allow the use of the Internet on
their premises by anyone searching for child pornography or sites that
peddle child sex tourism.
If any of their employees is found helping tourists abuse children,
these industries will ensure the workers are sacked and arrested.
Besides, all employees will be trained to keep an eye on paedophiles.
These are some of the guidelines framed for the tourism industry to
curb child sex tourism. The guidelines have been drawn up by Pacific
Asia Travel Association's (PATA) India chapter and the ministry of
tourism. Sources said state tourism departments will start
implementing them in the next two months.
The guidelines also require the tourism industry to conduct all future
businesses by introducing a clause in the contracts that will
discourage sexual exploitation of children.
Sources said curbing child sex tourism, now a major industry not only
in coastal tourist hubs but also in the religious towns of Orissa and
Tamil Nadu, cannot be done by the police and NGOs alone. "Until
hotels, tour operators and even airlines play an active role in
curbing child abuse, the menace cannot be contained," a tourism
ministry official said.
Several cases of child prostitution have been unearthed in India in
recent years. Among them was the arrest of Albert Freddy Peats in Goa
in 1991. He was charged with sexually exploiting children under the
pretext of running a shelter for them. He was the first person in
India to serve a life term for paedophilia.
Even the government agrees that in the pretext of drawing more
tourists to the country, such cases were being brushed under the
carpet.
The new guidelines will require tour operators, hoteliers and airlines
to include information about the illegality of child abuse in their
promotional brochures and other publicity materials
Posted by Tulir - CPHCSA at 11:36 PM 2 comments
Reactions:
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Of semantics and substance
Why does an allegation have to be proved through a departmental
enquiry before u report to police?
Isn't it their job to substantiate or disprove? Multiple enquiries
only ensure the child victim is so many times more revictimied.
Why do we always go to inordinate lenghts to, at the expenseof the
victim, establish beyond everybody's doubt concrete proof that there
was molestation - AKA every other form of sexual violence which does
not fall under the definition of rapeor sodomy??Why is that everyone
is harping on little girls Are little boys also not molested?
Do abusers and molesters start and stop with one child?
Also the reasoning for the light senetence by the Judge is hilariosly
ludicrous - especially when viewed aginst the alleged raunchy romps by
octogenerain Governors. Forget an undesrtanding of senior citizen
sexuality, how many of our ersthwhile judiciary are even aware of the
complexities of sexual violence - rape trauma syndrome, post traumatic
stress, grooming, why the majority of victims never disclose
abuse,accomodation syndrome( the sole sole reason why a victim of
child sexual absue can usually never present as the robust witness
which the prosecution demands).
At the very least the Govt ha sto evolve child friendly proceedures
which will enable the child and family to have the confidence to
report.
Posted by Tulir - CPHCSA at 11:07 PM
Several more items are not posted here. Please visit this excellent
Blog.
http://childsexualabuseinindia.blogspot.com/
Hidden Darkness: Child Sexual Abuse in India
Tag it:Written by Neeta Lal
Wednesday, 02 May 2007
An overwhelming number of India’s children face unwanted attention
from sexual predators.
After a brilliant 16-year-old New Delhi girl repeatedly complained
last month that her mathematics teacher was “touching and fondling her
private parts,” the upshot was a long way from what anybody bargained
for. When the girl’s parents complained, the principal called them
“regressive” and blamed them for damaging the school’s reputation. The
girl now stays at home to help cook and clean, her school bag lying in
a locked cupboard, her scholastic career over.
The story of the girl, referred to only as Seema, is depressingly
familiar, resonating across large parts of India, where abuse is a a
startling everyday reality for as many as half of the country’s
children, according to a just-released 13-state National Study on
Child Sexual Abuse conducted by the Ministry of Women and Child
Development, UNICEF and Save The Children.
It is a long-hidden issue that India is finally beginning to wrestle
with. The government moved recently to establish a National Commission
for Protection of Children's Rights and plans are afoot to present an
Offences Against Children (Prevention) Bill in the Parliament. The
proposed document has specific sections dealing with various crimes
against children, including sale/transfer, sexual assault, sexual/
physical/emotional abuse, commercial sexual exploitation, child
pornography, grooming for sexual purpose, incest, corporal punishment,
bullying and economic exploitation.
The scale of abuse, according to the national study, is far worse than
anybody had thought. It reports that 69 per cent of all Indian
children are victims of physical, mental or emotional abuse, with New
Delhi’s children facing an astounding abuse rate of 83.12 percent.
The survey, which involved interviews with 12,447 children, also
highlights that it is usually family members (89 percent) who
perpetrate such crimes and that more boys face physical abuse (72.61)
than girls (65 per cent). Overall, Indian children were found to be
victims of a slew of sexual crimes -- rape, sodomy, exposure to
pornographic material, fondling, forcible kissing and sexual advances,
among others.
The study also notes that child sexual abuse in India begins as early
as five, ratchets up dramatically during pre-pubescence and peaks at
12 to 16 years. Some 21 percent of respondents acknowledged
experiencing severe sexual abuse like rape, sodomy, fondling or
exposure to pornographic material. Ironically, 71 per cent of sexual
assault cases in India go unreported.
Nor is the study an aberration. As long ago as the mid 1990s, Samvada,
a non-governmental organization in Karnataka, surveyed girls aged 15
to 21 from 11 schools and reported that 47 percent of the respondents
were molested or experienced sexual overtures, 15 percent of them
under the age of 10. Another 15 percent said they had experienced
serious forms of sexual abuse including rape – 31 percent of that
group were under the age of 10 when the abuses took place.
India is home to more than 375 million children, comprising nearly 40
percent of the country’s population, the largest number of minors in
any country in the world. Despite its ethos of non-violence,
tolerance, spirituality and a new trillion-dollar economy, India hosts
the world's largest number of sexually abused children, at a far
higher rate than any other country. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), one in every four girls and one in every seven
boys in the world are sexually abused, hardly encouraging, but still
far below India’s totals.
Worse, child abuse is one of the least documented violations in the
country, records author Grace Poore in the book, The Children We
Sacrifice, which deals with the wide prevalence of child sexual abuse
in India.
The reasons are manifold. In India, much like the rest of Asia,
children are expected to respect and obey authority figures such as
teachers, guidance counselors and principals and not question their
actions. Rebellion is perceived as a sign of a bad upbringing. This
sensibility perpetuates a culture of abuse by encouraging sexual
predators.
Also, Indian adults often exercise a near-feudal hold over their
children, demanding complete and unquestioned obedience. A culture of
silence and shame also swirls around cases of sexual violence against
children. Unsurprisingly, the notion of shame is the single largest
culprit in perpetuating sexual violence against India’s children.
Ironically, despite the magnitude of the problem, Indian courts offer
little panacea to victims. In fact the only legal recourse available
to such victims is the extensions of “rape laws”, which apply to women
and are stretched to apply to children as well.
But, as authorities point out, rape laws only recognize sexual crimes
involving “penile penetration” and are totally dependent on medical
evidence. Such evidence is difficult to procure as abuse is usually
not one isolated case but a whole series of them. It may even involve
episodes in which the offender doesn’t even touch the victim. Worse,
the sexual molestation law covers all sexual offences “that outrage
the victim’s modesty,” other than penetration. However, these two are
bailable offences and only demand punishment of a maximum of two years
in jail and/or a fine of few thousand rupees.
Though this law can be used in child sexual abuse cases, its reference
to “unusual sexual offences” makes it difficult for child victims to
use this option as a legal remedy. Since the definition of sexual
abuse is nebulous, victims are largely at the mercy of the court’s
discretion. On rare cases when abusers are booked after a cumbersome
legal procedure, India’s conviction rate is so abysmal (despite the
country’s sophisticated and complex set of laws), it seems like a
Pyrrhic victory.
Apart from the legal dimension, child sexual abuse also has
pronouncedly psychological and emotional elements. Worldwide surveys
point out that such abuse negatively impacts a child’s physical,
emotional and mental well-being, leading to severe behavioral and
psychiatric disorders. Suicidal tendencies and drug abuse are common
long-term effects.
A World Health Organization survey also points out that there is an
unambiguous behavioral and emotional pattern in the abused. Usually
the child hardly talks about the incident. And, even if he or she
does, no one takes it seriously. That in turn triggers feelings of
self doubt and guilt, exacerbating the child’s feeling that it is his
or her fault. As the child matures, compulsive behavior reinforces
this guilt. Small wonder that many adult sexual problems, according to
psychoanalysts, trace their provenance to childhood abuse.
Charol Shakeshaft, a statistics professor in the School of Education
and Allied Human Services at Hofstra University, New York, notes in
her report, “Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing
Literature,” that “child sexual abusers, including educators and
priests, use similar patterns of ‘grooming practices’ to break down a
child's defenses. Often popular and well-regarded in their field,
abusers engage in ‘systematic and premeditated grooming’ where they
lavish special treatment on their intended victim buying presents or
sharing secrets, for example and then advance to pornography.”
Where then, does the solution lie? Educating and enlightening kids
about such issues, helping them distinguish between “good” and “bad”
touch, is a partial answer, authorities say. Children also ought to be
made aware of impulsive decisions they may make under pressure from
peers, bullies and abusers. Sex education in schools is also
productive. The Netherlands, a country where teenage pregnancy rates
plummeted from 60 per cent to about 25 per cent through aggressive sex
information campaigns in schools, is an example.
However, in India the issue of sexual abuse is still wedged between
legal and policy commitments to children on the one hand, and the
fallout of globalization on the other. A nationwide furor resulted
after the government’s recent decision to introduce sex education in
schools. The subject has divided opinion between camps who felt such a
step would lead to unnecessary experimentation by curious teenagers
and others who believed it would help whittle down cases of sexual
abuse by creating widespread awareness.
In the meantime, with child sexual abuse attracting so much scrutiny
and public debate, the government has the added impetus to adopt
strong and unequivocal measures to contain such crimes. For a country
with nearly 40 per cent of its populace comprised of children, such
measures are overdue.
Set as favorite Bookmark Email This Comments (19)
Subscribe to this comment's feedShow/Hide commentsI do not know why
our government not doing anything..
written by Thoi(Manipur, India) , December 31, 2009
Dear all,
First of all my greetings for this coming year to one and all.
Coming to the point we all do know that it is happenning every minute.
What I think is we should always try to be vigilant and yes try to
help someone who so ever goes through it.
Was reading some books on CSA.. mainly the studies are based abroad.
For our own BHARAT we are just throwing the money.. to something else.
The govt not giving any kind of hit to either health, education sector
either.. Everything is just on paper...
Most of us have already face it.... But we are bold enough to let it
not happen to our youngones..
Have become really vigilant in these growing years....n have learn a
lot form this life..
I do agree to kara about the porn industry which should be banned..
But there are always pros and cons to whatever step the market or the
society would be taking..
Lets hope for the best..
Regards
Thoi. M
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +0
276 million children in India are sexually abused
written by PK , September 04, 2009
Children in India make up 40% of the population. If an average 69% of
them are subject to sexual abuse, that's 276 million children. Folks,
that's 276,000,000. There is NO country in the world with this
staggering number of sex abuse cases only against children! Add the
abuse cases against women and the numbers will be even higher.
India is a time bomb waiting to explode and need to add the death
penalty for this kind of crimes.
Want to compare the numbers? In 2007, there were 248,300 total victims
of sexual assault in the USA. That includes children who had been
victims.
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +1
India had the highest absue cases I had ever seen
written by PK , September 04, 2009
India has by far the highest sexual abuse cases in the entire world,
second only to the middle east and Africa.
When I worked in social projects in India, the number of cases were so
staggering, you could basically randomly pick any person on the street
and they had a history of sexual abuse. India needs huge efforts to
establish special investigative units for sexual crimes, and punish
with the death penalty. There is no other way to get the situation
under control because it is an enormous problem.
Foreign tourists too are constantly sexually harassed. Nearly all
women I spoke with had been either touched or had a man masturbate in
front of her while traveling in India. This was not common in old
women, but practically everyone under the age of 40.
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +0
Was abused from 8 to 14 as a boy
written by Moha , August 05, 2009
I had a guy come to teach me and my sister Quran by coming to our
house. We used to meet in a guest house kind of place behind the
house. He used to finish my sister's lessons quickly and send her
away. He then used to lock door and orally manupilate me and then
anally abuse me for hours. This went on for 6 years. He used to bring
boys with him sometimes and it used to be an orgy that to this day I
can't believe that it really happened. Today I am gay and so messed
up. I don't know what to think of what happened. I have never told
anybody. I try to comfort anybody who has gone through it. Email me at
LHX_...@hotmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam
bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if anybody wants to
talk.
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +0
...
written by CKJ , June 10, 2009
Aarti,
You fail to say which city/town you were in? I grew up in India, and
visit every year, and have never had anyone on the street grab me
(yes, try and pinch me on a crowded bus, or rub themselves etc). This
mainly in New Delhi. North India is notorious for this kind of crap. I
grew up in Punjab and HP, while the town and city men are disgusting,
the village men are not this way. I recently made a trip to South
India and was pleasantly surprised by the men there, they did not seem
to have that horrendous North Indian leer. However, it is important to
be aware at all times, dress appropriately etc. Sad, but a fact.
Sadly, sex abuse amongst/within families is prevalent and I believe
most cases go unreported. I think your parents were wrong to tell you
that you would be considered hypersexed?
report abusevote downvote upVotes: -1
phentermine
written by Phentermine , May 01, 2009
http://www.phenterminestar.com http://www.adipex-rx.com
report abusevote downvote upVotes: -1
The above story is mine
written by Shatru , March 18, 2009
Kara and others....
Thanks for your reply. But my friend Nayan wrote this story not to
understand that how bad is my country. We want some solution. We would
like to know about any of the organisation which helps such victims. I
would like to work for such organisation.
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +2
Please Suggest
written by Nayan , March 17, 2009
Pleas help?
My friend is 16 yrs old; I completely broke when I heard his story; I
started feeling like I am living in the hell. I really want to help
him but don’t know what to do? As a result, I am writing here.
My friend was 14 yrs old when he sexually abused by one of the
criminal bastard of his locality, I don’t have words to express my
regret of hearing his story. Fortunately, that bastard killed in an
accident, god gave him fruit of his evilness.
However, whatever bad happened with my friend was his past, he want to
leave it back and go ahead, he is very brave hearted. But the thing
is, his past is not leaving him, that bastard has already spread
gossip of his wickedness to his supporters and some of the Eve-
teasers. And they have started harassing my friend for his favor for
the sex; one of them is a gay.
My Friend told me that he has joined a gaybomaby group on yahoo.com,
because he feel that he could be gay and seeking counseling on that
group ( he has not accepted that he is gay and really wasn’t know
that, most of the people there are for sex). He had replied to some of
the topics on that group because he was very curious to educate
himself on child abuse issues and was confused between child sexual
abuse and homosexuality. I have convinced him that, he is not gay, He
had sodomised, and not to seek help on that group.
One of the eve-teasers from his locality recognized my friend on that
group and started sending him harassing E-mails. This person is the
same whom I have mentioned above is gay.
Please suggest any organization who can take action against those
people, my friend don’t wanted to approach police. And also suggest
how to cope with situation like this. My friends mind and studies are
getting affected.
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +4
...
written by a guest , March 02, 2009
brother was rap at the hospal
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +0
...
written by Hasina , October 15, 2008
My heart breaks for all those who were abused in their childhood. Such
pain does not just go away and proper therapy may help ease some of
it.
India like most of the Asia counties and also the Middle Eastern
countries put such blame and shame on the victims that they do not
even want to disclose what happened to them. Society needs to wake up
and realize our children needs protecting. The US and other western
countries have laws in place and services for victims. However, India
does not have such resources and insteads sweeps it under the rug to
save face and not bring shame to their country. I don't think they
realize by doing nothing to help these victims its bringing more shame
and resentment than anything to India.
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +0
My experience...
written by Aarthi , September 25, 2008
I am NOT AT ALL surprised... I was born in the US and on my trip to
visit family at the age of 12 years, I have been fondled many times.
It is so common place that when I was walking down the street dressed
in my jeans and long sleeve t-shirt down to my knees, I had men
throwing their hands in between my legs and grabbing me all over. When
yelling at these people, they just smiled and thought this was normal.
I was told my family that if I said anything it would look like I was
hypersexual. I was 12 years and that was considered a child and, in
their opinion, a child only takes touch as sexual if he/she "reads
into it". What is worse is because of the stereotype that American
people are over-sexed, any accusations I had were ignored and looked
down on. India's economy is booming but its humanity has a lot of work
ahead of it...
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +3
child abuse is a lifetime torture for me
written by anonym , September 21, 2008
i was abused sexually, verbally and emotionall since i was 9 years
old. starting from my grandfather, to hes collegues, my brother and
the list goes on. the only thing i wanted to save was my virginity and
never to look at men again the same way. living in a house where porn
is hidden away in nooks and corners of the house and finding my
brother masturbating in the living hall wasnt the best memories from a
childhood. im from a indian muslim family and i say this iregardless
of my religion or race; it has nothing to do with sex abuse. those men
who did this to me are still out there living a life of comfort and
freedom where ive been imprisoned in a prison of my thoughts of
fear...am 23 now.i know ive came a long way but when i put my head to
rest at night, the fear of being raped still hounts me till today.
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +6
I was sexually abused by my mother and a sibling
written by Shazia , August 11, 2008
I was abused by my mother and a sibling (who had in all likelihood
been abused herself when she was a child). Indians have very little
understanding of sexual abuse and mothers are idolized. Which means
that a sadistic cruel mother like mine can get away with the things
she did coz nobody suspects a mother. And even when they knew (when I
told some) they did nothing about it. Another assumption even in
Europe and US is that when mothers do it, it must not be so bad- abuse
is extremely damaging and women are just as capable of being sadistic
as men. I became an exceptionally good humanbeing coz I made a choice
at a young age never to let anybody suffer the cruelty I did. But I
hope my society had done something to help me. Even when I shared my
abuse with an Indian man who loved me (whom I married and now
divorced), instead of helping me feel proud of who I had become
despite the circumstances I was raised in, he repeatedly taunted me
about coming from a family where "such things happened". No wonder
only a couple of people know about my abuse (most of whom pretended as
if it never happened or was never happening coz that way they didnt
have to deal with the 'shame' in the family). Indian society punishes
the victims of child sexual abuse with more shame.
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +5
I guess it\'s upto the ones who are angered by this
written by Anju Sabu , May 07, 2008
Thanks for this article. It really is an issue in India and yes, it's
disgusting but I do think that people are getting more and more aware.
But India's not alone in this. I think everyone country has its share
of monsters and they've all learnt through time and troubles.
report abusevote downvote upVotes: -1
hmph,
written by jenna , April 12, 2008
i,myself, being an indian feel that india is the most disgusting
country in the world.
may sound harsh,
but after reading this, you will agree with me
that it's definitly true. the problem with indian people
is that they all have EGOs. especially the men there
feel as if they have the right to treat humans any
way they wish. women also play a role in this (seeing how
only 40% of them are educated) they are taught to
respect men, to never "bring shame" upon the family,
that men are the superior sex and they therefore must
spend their lives depending on and serving men.
i find it absolutely ridiculous to see men and women like this have
children and actually expect their children
to flourish.
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +7
Require more information on child abuse!
written by Shanawaz.N.K , March 31, 2008
Hi kara,
we are a goan based film creative agency, we just started a month ago
and our first project is a rock music video on paedophillia. We are
aware of rising rate in child abuse specially in goa. we are planning
to make a short fil addresing this issue, but we need more dope on the
issue. It would be grateful if we collabrate and do something for the
society. hoping for your response!
report abusevote downvote upVotes: -4
SEXUAL, EMOTIONAL AND PSYCOLOGICAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN IN INDIA
written by BRYAN , November 04, 2007
I KNOW FIRST HAND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SEXUALLY, PHYSICALLY AND
EMOTIONALLY ABUSED SINCE I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD. THE CULTURE OF ABUSE IS
SO INGRAINED THAT I FELT HELPLESS AND TRIED TO END MY LIFE AT AGE 10
WHEN MY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL SUGGESTED I JOIN MY DEAD PARENTS AFTER
PHYSICALLY BEATING ME AND PULLING MY HAIR TILL MY HEAD ACHED....
I RESOLVED NEVER TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN. I GREW UP, LEFT THE
COUNTRY AND VOWED NEVER TO BRING AN INNOCENT CHILD INTO THIS WORLD
EVER.
49 YEARS LATER, I HAVE KEPT MY WORD.
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +2
It is a shame we have to live with for eternity....
written by Jaimala , September 21, 2007
I feel sad that Kara from Europe had to put up with such a rude and
insensitive treatment in India. And wish I could apologize from her.
It is so unencessary. We people; both in the West and in the East are
living foolishly, oblivious of realities of one another. We not only
have to confront the evils like Child Sexual Abuse collective and
jointly, we also have to understand that they will remain-As long as
there is life on earth. It would be good that we learnt to respect and
appreciate each other in order to prevent things rather than isolate
each other in order to protect ourselves one from another.
report abusevote downvote upVotes: -2
Not surprised, but will India make changes?
written by Kara (Europe) , June 11, 2007
I am not surprised to this report. Traveling and working in India, it
was almost visible. But whenever I mentioned it, it met with
resentment and aggression. Indian people are not ready to hear the
truth that their society is full of sexual misconduct and that action
need be taken, because women and children become the victims of it.
I remember giving blood and being told by a doctor that they dont want
'white blood' because we spread AIDS and AIDS comes from the west...
According to him, India did not have a single case of AIDS and
homosexuality was a western "culture"... Only one year later the WHO
announced that India was the second largest HIV and AIDS community in
the world. Not only that, aids were spreading in communities where
there existed no tourists!
I feel the porn industry contribute a lot to the sexual assault that
women and children are subject to wherever in the world we are. The
porn industry must be closed down.
report abusevote downvote upVotes: +0
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=476&Itemid=34
bademiyansubhanallah
Express News Service
First Published : 20 Nov 2009 12:17:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 20 Nov 2009 09:37:42 AM IST
KOCHI: Are we sitting on an emotional volcano that can erupt any time
spreading a series of health issues that could affect the very fabric
of society? As we observe yet another World Day for the Prevention of
Child Abuse, what is worrying most NGOs and child welfare workers is
the rising number of child abuse cases, especially incest. It’s not a
topic that many parents like to talk about, but it is fast becoming a
fact they cannot ignore. Despite the tireless efforts of the
government and non governmental organisations (NGOs), child abuse
cases are increasing. “It could be because of the growing awareness in
the community that more cases are now being reported,’’ said a social
worker.
There are several types of abuse and irrespective of their sexual
identity young boys and girls are becoming victims of physical and
mental abuse. “It is when they start exhibiting excessive behaviour
patterns that often border on extreme violence that elders sit up and
take note,’’ says Bitty Joseph, member, Juvenile Justice Court. The
much popularised ‘Snehapoorvam Kuttikalodoppam’ programme of the
district administration, NRHM and other NGOs is a welcome gesture.
“During the awareness programme we trained about 140 volunteers who
went around schools and interacted with students. It was during the
talk and follow-up sessions that we realised that many needed help,’’
said Antony Jinoy, district coordinator, Childline.
Counsellors immediately came to the rescue of these children. Sixteen
cases were reported during the campaign. All the children were from
government and aided schools.
“We need to build awareness among children and programmes should be
held at the school level. We can start with talks by psychiatrists and
trained peer groups in schools,’’ Bitty said. She said that mental
health programmes sponsored by the UNICEF and organised by the
People’s Council for Social Justice for children in the Vypeen area
were successful.
“When the project was wound up we asked the social welfare department
to follow it up. But somehow that didn’t work out,’’ she added.
Yet another section that is being abused are children forced into
labour. While the state doesn’t have too many child labourers many
come here from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar and other
Northern states.
Janaseva Shishu Bhavan recently rescued 15 such children whose
rehabilitation has been looked into.
“These child labourers are often sexually abused by their masters.
Beggar children who sleep on roadsides are easy targets and many are
attacked by anti-socials,’’ said an official.
Later in life most of these children end up as anti-socials or sex
workers, says Bitty. Childline recently rescued a girl who was
sexually abused by one of her family members. Later she fell in love
with a man who initiated her into prostitution.
So how do you tell a child to be careful and watchful? “This is where
organisations like Janamaithri can play a vital role.
Forming core groups to identify these problems seem to be the only
solution,’’ Bitty says.
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Abuse+of+innocence&artid=okTD60jm80Q=
A lost cause?
R Ayyappan
First Published : 25 Dec 2009 07:24:46 AM IST
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The fate of the promised move to declare Kovalam
as the country’s first Child Sex Abuse (CSA) Non-Tolerant Zone is
reflected in the rare anti-child abuse posters found along the stretch
of the Kovalam beach. They look faded, time-worn, torn at the edges
and almost consigned to oblivion.
The Tourism Department has failed even in the primary task of putting
up anti-child abuse posters and stickers along the beaches, on shop
fronts and inside hotels and restaurants. The Department had made a
half-hearted attempt, though.
Last July, it did hand over posters and stickers and leaflets and
bookmarks to the Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA) and
requested the Association to distribute them among the hotels,
resorts, restaurants and shops at Kovalam. The response was cold.
When ‘Express’ visited the area in August, the posters or stickers
were not featured in the reception or on the walls of most of the
hotels and restaurants in the area.
Two months ago, before the start of the new tourist season, these anti-
child abuse posters, stickers and leaflets were once again distributed
among the hotels and resorts. When ‘Express’ went around the Eve’s
Beach in Kovalam on Thursday, we came across just a single poster. It
was found inside a restaurant along the beach, on the side of a
freezer, facing outside. It looked faded and curled at the edges.
“The poster was given to us by the KHRA people. The gum on the sticker
was not good enough to last two days. So, we used cello tapes to keep
it pasted. But the sea wind is so strong that the poster comes off
very often. Still we keep it pasted,’’ the restaurant manager, Joe,
said.
But no one else seems to have bothered. In a couple of resorts, like
Sea Face, posters and bookmarks were featured at the reception. Some
resort managers said they had no idea about such a poster campaign.
Some others said they were not interested in having these posters.
“Such posters could scare our clients away,’’ a restaurant manager
said.
KHRA patron Sudheesh confirmed that some hotels had indeed expressed
their unwillingness to feature these posters. “The Tourism Department
cannot enforce anything, only the police can. If the police had told
these shops and restaurants to put up the posters, they would have
definitely obeyed,’’ Sudheesh said.
In cases where hotels or shops have obliged, the posters and stickers
are put up in a seemingly secretive manner, like dissident graffiti in
totalitarian regimes. In one of the shops, an anti-child abuse sticker
was discovered under a sticker of a fairness cream. In another hotel,
‘The German Bakery’, there were no posters inside the restaurant. The
manager, however, escorted us to its small book shop in the corner of
the restaurant, where a half of a poster was found behind a stack of
papers.
The most unfortunate aspect was the absence of posters on the outside,
on lamp posts or walls where tourists would never miss them. “The
Department was silent about putting up posters on the outside. We were
asked to distribute them among the shops and resorts. There was no
mention about hoardings or billboards,’’ a senior Responsible Tourism
official told ‘Express’.
The anti-child abuse creatives appeal to the conscience of both the
tourist and the local. “Be a Guardian Angel’’, they say.
The message is simple and direct. Keep an eye open for the children of
Kovalam, especially the boys. “If you suspect that a child is being
abused, please call ChildLine 1098 or the police on 100,’’ the
collaterals say. The campaign is titled ‘Kovalam Vigil: Zero Tolerance
on Child Abuse’.
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?title=A%20lost%20cause?&artid=gqAoDOR5Sv8=&type=
India becoming hub of child sex abuse: SC
IANS
First Published : 29 Jan 2010 08:27:18 PM IST
NEW DELHI: Fearing that India might emerge as the "hub of child sex
abuse", the Supreme Court Friday asked the government to deal sternly
with criminals and recommended a separate police wing to deal with
child trafficking.
"India is now becoming a hub of child sex abuse," observed a bench of
Justices Dalveer Bhandari and A.K. Patnaik.
The court was hearing a 2006 lawsuit by civil society group Bachpan
Bachao Andolan that sought implementation of the various provisions of
the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, and other legislations for the welfare
of children and sex workers.
"The most serious problem is the use of children for sex trade. While
this crime is growing, hardly any case is registered. If a case is
registered, it will have a deterrent effect," the bench observed,
while asking Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium to seek the
government's clear stand and roadmap for fighting the malady.
"Apart from the criminals being prosecuted, it will have a deterrent
effect, which will make a lot of difference," the bench observed.
Asking the government to deal sternly with those using children in sex
trade, the bench advised it to have a separate police wing to probe
the matter.
"The government needs to understand clearly that child trafficking is
the priority area. There are several aspects. There should be a
special investigative agency to deal with trafficking and plug the
loopholes," the bench said.
Listing out some of the problematic aspects in child and women
trafficking, the bench said: "The problem area for inter-state
trafficking is Nepal, North East, Bangladesh border. There should be a
special agency to deal with it, where the present police is virtually
ineffective."
The bench also advised the government to seek the help of NGOs in
tackling the problem of child and women trafficking.
"You should involve NGOs also that will help you (the government)."
Lamenting the plight of sex workers, the bench said: "See the
condition of sex workers, whenever the police conducts raid, only they
are arrested and traffickers get away scot free and no legal aid is
available to them."
The bench also expressed concern over sex workers being forced to
continue with their profession despite being HIV positive and
spreading the deadly disease in the process.
"Most of the sex workers are HIV positive and are continuing with
their profession. They will only multiply disease. Steps must be taken
to curb this," the bench said.
Childhood abuse leaves body physically vulnerable to mental
Daily Telegraph
First Published : 24 Feb 2009 04:01:00 PM IST
Last Updated : 24 Feb 2009 04:18:26 PM IST
Researchers found the abuse can genetically reprogramme our bodies
leaving a person vulnerable to mental illness and suicide, a study has
shown.
Scientists made the discovery after examining the brains of 12 suicide
victims who had been victims of abuse as children.
They were unusually likely to have stunted activity in a genetically-
controlled stress response mechanism.
Like a tap being turned off, the gene in question produced smaller
amounts of its protein.
Brains of people who had died from causes other than suicide and had
not suffered childhood abuse did not show the same defect. The same
was true of suicide victims without a history of abuse.
It was already known that a stress-activated biological mechanism
known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) pathway can have
harmful effects.
Higher HPA activity has been linked to suicide, mood disorders and
schizophrenia.
The glucicorticoid receptor gene affected by childhood abuse normally
acts as a brake on the HPA pathway. Reduced activity of the gene
results in HPA overload, leading to greater risk of suicide.
The process by which gene expression, or activity, can be permanently
altered by environmental influences is called epigenetics.
Increasingly, scientists are discovering that it can have far-reaching
influences, even extending down the generations.
In the new study, the experience of childhood abuse appeared to alter
levels of a message chemical needed to relay genetic instructions to
protein-making machinery in cells.
Scientists found a typically epigenetic modification to a control
mechanism for the glucicorticoid receptor gene.
In life, this would have limited the gene's levels of messenger RNA,
and therefore the amount of functional protein made.
The kind of abuse the suicide victims encountered included sexual
contact, physical violence and severe neglect.
A paper on the research, led by Professor Michael Meaney, from McGill
University in Canada, is published today in the journal Nature
Neuroscience.
Previous studies had indicated that parental care influenced HPA
activity in rats through similar epigenetic programming.
The authors wrote: "These findings translate previous results from rat
to humans and suggest a common effect of parental care on the
epigenetic regulation of glucocorticoid receptor expression."
Child protection expert Professor Dorothy Scott, from the University
of South Australia, said: "This study reinforces the importance of
reducing children's exposure to adversity, including child abuse and
neglect. It means that we must pay close attention to preventing and
treating maternal mood disorders, both for the sake of the mother and
her child.
"We also need to prepare health professionals, especially GPs,
midwives and child and family health nurses, to enhance parent-infant
attachment and identify and address major risk factors associated with
child abuse such as domestic violence, parental alcohol and drug use,
parental mental health problems and social isolation.
"Parents who have a history of childhood abuse and neglect need to be
offered very sensitive and highly skilled support if the risk of an
inter-generational pattern of child maltreatment is to be reduced."
Abuse: Travelling sex offender
Ranjitha Gunasekaran
First Published : 15 Nov 2009 10:18:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 15 Nov 2009 01:45:32 PM IST
We didn't think he would do something like this as well!” a police
officer
attached to the Mahabalipuram police station exclaimed, the day after
Chennai's Cyber Crime sleuths arrested Will Heum (the police refer to
him as John Williams) for uploading child pornography onto the
Internet. For the Mahabalipuram cops he was an old acquaintance. They
had arrested the Dutchman first in 2002 over allegations that he was
sexually abusing boys in an orphanage he ran in Poonjeri near the
temple town.
Indeed, Heum is the perfect case study of an alarming kind of tourist
visiting India these days — the travelling sex offender. Rights of the
Child in the context of Tourism, a compilation of articles updated by
Equitable Tourism in 2008 quotes a paper discussing the modus operandi
of such offenders. “Running an
orphanage is a typical cover for paedophiles, another modus operandi
is to claim to be producers of films and documentaries.”
Vidya Reddy, executive director, Tulir, which works in this area,
says, “These individuals are more frequently taking the NGO route,
arriving as volunteers, gaining access to vulnerable children. The
registration and checking up on homes is quite lax”.
Additional director general of police Archana Ramasundaram agrees.
“Tell me, why are there so many orphanages in Mahabalipuram of all
places? Are there no destitute children anywhere else?”
Indeed, Mahabalipuram has a Wikipedia entry that mentions orphanages
as an attraction in addition to the legendary rock-cut temples on the
shoreline. Several accounts of foreign tourists visiting the homes and
taking children out on unsupervised outings can be found online.
Heum had an uninterrupted four years but his luck ran out when some
former victims filed an FIR alleging that he made the boys (aged 14-19
at the time) bathe him, and that he sodomised them. The police
arrested Heum, sealed the home and sent the children to their
families. Shortly after, he was out on bail even though he had neither
a valid passport nor a visa.
missing complainants
Since then, time has virtually stood still.
For one, the Mahabalipuram police say that Heum has filed for “317” (a
provison in the Cr PC that allows an accused to be absent from court)
for the past seven months now, excusing him from being present. The
six boys listed as complainants have not been in touch with police.
And Heum’s lawyer Kumaresan told Express that he had gone looking for
the boys in Pondicherry and not found them, so there was no foundation
for this case.
Meanwhile, in 2003, the Mahabalipuram police had asked the home
ministry to deport Heum. The response is still awaited. Senior police
officials claim that sometimes the foreign ministry does not pursue
such matters because it may affect ties with the other nation. Also,
tourism contributes about 11.6 per cent of GDP and employs 9.4 per
cent of labour.
Equitable Tourism also points out, “Unlike Sri Lanka and Thailand,
this problem (child sex tourism) has not been seriously tackled and
has remained shrouded in secrecy, making the likelihood of child
abusers being caught and punished very low.” It is no real surprise
then that sex offenders are now shifting their gaze to India. Heum’s
case is a clear sign that India is a haven for child sex offenders.
They’re probably busy packing for the new El Dorado.
But if Heum did exactly what he wanted even after he was exposed, the
story of Paul Henry Dean makes Shantaram seem an amateur. Dean,
accused of abusing boys from the Mary Ellen Gerber Foundation
Children’s Village in Orissa’s Puri last year, is a man of many
names.
the fake surgeon
The Australian first came to India in 1976 on a fake passport. Later
it was found that he was wanted in Australia for financial fraud. In
India, he evaded the law and fashioned a new life for himself — even
performing cataract surgeries and amputations in villages.
The FIR filed by Gerber on behalf of the boys last November describes
him as “Professor @ Tata @ Paul Allen @ Paul Parivaraj...an eminent
surgery doctor (sic), priest and consultant”. She states that he had
been terrifying the children and the staff. She had found that
“professor had used boys (12-20 age) in a sexual way.”
The FIR quotes a former employee saying, “Tata sucked the penis of
young boys and swallowed their sperm for giving himself youthful
energy... If they don’t accept… he beats them behind the head...”
Sixteen victims agree to testify, she adds, urging urgent action.
Dean was arrested. The police diary states that he denied the charges,
did not have a passport or a visa. He gave his name as Allen Herbert
Rose, MBBS from Western Australia University, 1965. He also refused
consular help. After his arrest, they found that he had been accused
of similar offences in 2001 in Andhra Pradesh. In Vijayanagaram, after
having literally jumped bail by leaping off a running train!
Depressingly, he too is out on bail, no one knows where.
Shortly after, an Australian Broadcasting Corporation investigation
revealed his escape from Australia, his abuse of an entire generation
of boys in Titlagarh village and more. The police, however, are
unaware of these details.
The Australian Federal Police were questioned about the case.
Testifying before Senator Brandis, Commissioner Kealty stated, “We
have made repeated official requests for information from the Indian
authorities that have remained unanswered. Requests have been sent on
five separate occasions since November 2007, with the last request on
January 31, 2009.” Puri police know nothing of this.
Meanwhile, the Children’s Village was deserted when visited. Gerber is
said to have left the country two months ago and Eliziar Rose and Ruth
Tumati (named as Dean’s accomplices in the FIR) are evidently in
charge. It would appear that the witnesses are in their care. The Puri
police say Dean has filed a petition in the High Court to quash the
FIR, and the police have filed a counter affidavit. But no one seems
to know who he is right now.
no one-night stand
Simon Palathingal, a Catholic priest and vice-principal of a prominent
Chennai boys’ school, was convicted of sexually abusing a boy in the
US a few years ago. When this reporter asked a senior police official
what would happen to him once he returned to India after serving his
sentence (in 2020), she was puzzled. “What should happen to him? He
would have served out his sentence, right?”
Therein lies a major problem. “Officials need to understand that child
abusers tend to be serial offenders and there is a strong link between
child sexual abuse and child pornography,” activist Vidya Reddy of
Tulir says. The problem is shown further when queries on travelling
sex offenders leads one to the police’s anti-trafficking wing — a
completely different issue! Reddy points out that at least with
foreign offenders it could be contained by either preventing the entry
of those with a history of sexual violence or at least making entry
difficult.
grooming victims
Experts point out that offenders tend to ‘‘groom’’ their victims —
establish a relationship with them, show attention and affection
thereby making the child feel complicit in the act. The US and UK have
sexual offenders’ registeries. Global databases also exist. The UK
even tries cases of abuse committed by its nationals on foreign soil,
best seen in the case of Patrick Matthews, a Briton who volunteered at
a Chennai-based school. On his return to the UK, a complaint was made
in 2006 that he had sexually abused children in the school and he was
arrested under Section 72 of the Sexual Offences Act. UK’s police then
spent three years trying to get permission to investigate in India —
and finally landed here only in 2009!
The disaster of ‘me, me’
S Gurumurthy
First Published : 26 Feb 2009 02:13:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 26 Feb 2009 08:21:55 AM IST
This happened in Mangalore as February 14 — now marketed as
Valentine’s Day by traders to sell their wares — was approaching.
Upset with public drinking by boys and girls, a freak by name Pramod
Muthalik got mad. He got some of them in a pub beaten up like their
parents would do, but unlike them. He had informed the media about his
show so that the news cameras were in place to telecast the Muthalik
action everywhere. Thus the Muthalik show was a joint venture between
him and the media to keep away the state police, which could spoil the
show. Predictably, the whole world pounced on poor Yeddyurappa who
heads the BJP government in Karnataka for allowing Muthalik to take
the law into his hands. The BJP, ever torn between its love of Hindu
culture and its desire for a modern image, was greatly embarrassed.
With the BJP in power in Karnataka, Muthalik knew the publicity value
of his show. Had he enacted his theatre elsewhere, like when the Shiv
Sena raided pubs years ago in Mumbai and Pune under the ‘secular’
Congress rule, it would have been far less noisy.
More. By just one mad act, Muthalik turned many, including a minister,
into full-scale lunatics. Renuka Chowdhury, a minister of state,
supported a “pub bharo andolan” to take on Muthalik, thus openly
encouraging young boys and girls to take to mass drinking in public.
And believe it or not, her portfolio is Women and Child Development.
Came an even more mad response to Muthalik’s take on Valentine’s Day.
“I support every kind of love, heterosexual, transgender, marital,
extramarital”.
This is Arundhati Roy sermonising to youths. Why she left out incest
from her catalogue of love is not clear. Now, take the secular media.
It quickly equated pubgoing with individual rights, and held Muthalik
as an offender against human rights. Evidently, the mad act of a freak
Hindu in a distant corner of India is sufficient to turn the whole of
secular India into lunatics. Now move away from this trivia to the
danger to which Renukas and Arundhatis expose the nation’s economy.
The current Indian discourse on individual and human rights, which
tends to smuggle in even gay and lesbian rights, apes the West. As
India attempts to copy the West, it clearly misses the serious
economic issues that confront West, thanks to its obsession with
unfettered individual and human rights. Many in the West now seem to
realise that continuously undermining the moral and social order has
led to the present economic crisis. The West did not slide overnight.
Beginning from the late 19th century, the Anglo-American West
gradually moved away from a relation- based lifestyle to a contract-
based lifestyle.
While culture and tradition govern relation, law and rights inhere in
contracts.
And this move from relation to contracts became almost complete in the
second half of the 20th century. With law overriding relations, even
parents could not curb the rights of their wards once they legally
matured.
It is the other way. If they acted against their wards, the law would
punish the parents for child abuse. So contracts replaced relations,
and rule of law substituted for moral order. To what effect? The rise
of unfettered individualism and undefined feminism have led to the
erosion of families and a rise in divorces, singleparent families,
unwed mothers, lesbians, gays and almost the collapse of traditional
families. Over 50 per cent of the first marriages, 67 per cent of the
second marriages, and 74 per cent of the third marriages end in
divorce in the US. Over 40 per cent of births are outside wedlock.
Almost half of the families are headed by a single parent.
The number is more in most of Europe. It was seen as cultural erosion
first. But slowly it has turned into an economic disaster.
The contract-based model undermined families and led to low or no
household savings, high personal debt, credit card based living,
outsourcing of household functions including kitchen work. The erosion
in relation-based lifestyle soon imposed a huge social security burden
on the state because the family mechanism that supported the
unemployed, infirm, aged and the rest and the state had to step in to
aid them. Thus the family functions were taken over by the state. The
families were nationalised. The overburdened state consequently had to
shed its traditional functions, like public works, and privatise
itself.
The socialisation of family functions obviated the need to save for a
rainy day and led to even lower savings. With the growth of
individualism to the exclusion of kinship and relations, corporates
and the state alike promoted unrestrained consumerism.
Result, some 110 millions US households have some 1.2 billion credit
cards, almost a dozen cards per household.
As the people saved less and spent more, they got into trillions of
dollars of private debt; and as the government spent more, it also ran
into tens of trillions of dollars of public debt. The result is that
the government is bankrupt and so households are insolvent. More, the
US, the largest creditor nation of the world three decades ago, is
today the number one debtor of the world, with $12.5 trillion of debt.
A quick survey shows this: all individual- centric economies are deep
in debt; but nations more family-oriented and less individual-
centric, like Japan, China, India, and generally Asian nations,
account for over three-fourths of global savings; the individualist
West lives off the savings of family-centric Asia. Today the West says
that, in the present crisis only Asia, which has huge savings thanks
to family orientation, can save the West, which has almost lost its
traditional family lifestyle.
So the idea of unbridled human rights and unrestrained personal
freedom that have led to social and cultural degeneration are
increasingly seen as the cause of the present economic crisis. Weeks
ago, Thomas L Friedman, a leading economic journalist, wrote in the
New York Times that he had told those eating in a restaurant that they
could no more afford to eat out and they had better cook and eat at
home. But how will they cook and eat at home unless families are re-
created? If they do, how would the US compensate for loss of
employment if restaurants, which exist because households have closed
their kitchens, shut down? There seems to be no solution within
economic laws to the present crisis of the West. Amoral economics once
yielded higher returns. It now yields negative returns.
Here Renukas and Arundhatis advocate unbridled individualism that has
undermined families and morals and dynamited the economies of the
West. Renuka questions the idea public morals. Arundhati advocates
amoral living. Both seem unaware that an economy built at the cost of
family and social morals, too collapses on the ruins of the morals it
has brought down. QED: morality supports economics; lack of it ruins
economies
About the author:
S Gurumurthy is a well-known commentator on political and economic
issues
Comments
REALLY RENUKA CHHOWDHRY WAS SPEAKING FOR A PUB BHARAO CAMPAIGN? OH MY
GOD. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF SHE HERSELF ALSO COME TO THE PUB. I NEED
HER AT LEAST FOR ONE NIGHT. MY FELLOW READERS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW
WHICH PUB SHE IS GOING TO FILL HERSELF..I WILL GO THERE AND CELEBRATE
WITH HER...SUCH A WANTON SEXY STUFF SHE IS HAAAA...I AM IMPATIENT..PLS
RENUKA, PLS ANNOUNCE WHICH PUB U R IN...
By JACK WILSON
4/12/2009 7:52:00 PM
Nothing surprising if Arundhati include incest also. Who does not know
the history of Araudhanti Roy who was roaming in Delhi streets under
the influence of drugs and sex? No one will care of her opinion about
family bond. For, she cannot speak of something which she never had
and enjoyed. She left her mom at 18 and the rest of her life is on
public roads, pubs and dark allays. She will only speak for such
values which will contribute to undermine human values. She has been
calculated catapulted by giving Booker prize for a 3rd rate creation.
If she knows how to create artistic works, why can't write another
novel? It was west's attempt to make her famous and then use her for
anti-Indian and anti Hindu propaganda.
By Krishna Menon
4/12/2009 7:49:00 PM
WE HEAR ABOUT SOME PEOPLE SWALLOWING ANY THING THAT MOVES. LIKEWISE
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE WAITING TO POUNCE ON ANY THING ASSOCIATED
WITH... WITH...... WITH......... HINDU. THEY WILL BE WAITING FOR
SMALLEST OPPORTUNITY TO THROUGH DRUMS OF MUD. THEY WILL BE MAKING
MOUNTAIN OUT OF MOLEHILL SOME OF OUR OVERZEALOUS BROTHERS GIVE SCOPE
FOR THIS SHOUTING BRIGADE. WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE MUTHALIKS, THOGADIAS,
SINGHALS etc. WHENEVER BJP GOVERNMENT COMES ONLY THESE PEOPLE LOOSE
CONTROL & BECOME LAW UNTO THEMSELVES, THERE BY CREATING NUISANCE &
EMBARRASSMENT TO THE RULING PARTY. WHAT ALL WE WANT FROM BJP IS
SAFEGUARDING MAJORITY INTEREST IS, NOT HARMING OTHERS INTERESTS.
By SV
4/4/2009 9:00:00 PM
By his concept we all should be living in a dictatorship where as i
understand individualism has no place but for a few. Remember "sir",
India is not a developing country but a developed country in an
advanced state of decay ( by Shasi Tharoor), A country that missed out
on further growth during renaissance because we were trying to clamp
down on individualism in the garb of various social rituals. The
article ends up as being worthy of not even a dustbin and shows the
sad state of our so called intelluctuals. Amorality breeds not in the
pubs but in the hearts of those who can't accept the personal/
individual choice of others.
By Sandeep S
3/6/2009 6:24:00 PM
This article by the so called "well-known commentator on political and
economic issues" is one in poor taste and outright vulgar. the article
is poorly researched with no regard to what our history was or the
western history was. We were a country that was liberal in many ways,
including sexuality, during the early & later vedic periods and
represented the epitome of liberalism and free ideas. By trying to
sweep this concept under the carpet and link individualism to free
choice to all that is wrong with world economy shows up the hidden
agenda of the author and his knowledge of economics.
By Sandeep S
3/6/2009 6:22:00 PM
My wholehearted Congratulations to the author Mr. S.Gurumurthy. He has
spread light in what otherwise an unthinking group of columnists in
media to put mildly. If we are call a spade a spade then Columnists
like B.G.Verghese and Taveleen Singh should find a prominent place in
the list of honourable lunatics of the second order from Media, the
first order made up of people like Renuka Chaudry and Arundhati Roy.
At the end of the day we have to realise that it is people and their
values, get reflected as prosperity of a society. No amount of
stimulus package will work unless Americans change their attitude to
life.
By G YAGNESWARAN
3/3/2009 9:19:00 PM
Its a very balanced and thought on how all the three Renuka, Arundatti
and Muttaliks could damage the society. Instead of taking corrective
steps the minister is advicing youths to go to Pubs.. in the name of
secularism and freedom.! Well its almost in stark contrast of
Gandhiji's principles. Congress and its leaders wants him for all the
reasons but not follow.!!
By MS P
3/3/2009 2:38:00 PM
The ancient epics talk about using soma panam which is an intoxicant
probably laced with hashish. Men freely had many wives. women were
made to commit sati. Not everything that is ancient was great. As we
learn more we need to strike a balance and move on choosing the best.
Culture is not equal to backwardness. It is indivudual right to drink
and have sex in closed door and none of politician business. this is
an excuse for politicians to mask their lack of vision and
infrastructure woes.
By PE
3/3/2009 1:58:00 PM
Mr. Gurumurthy has writeen a well researched artcile substantiated by
facts which nether the Renukas nor the Arundathis can dare to dispute.
The problem with most of us is tht we get completely carried away by
the context. Our forefathers did not. They knew the limited value of a
materialistic life and instead contemplated on the eternal truths.
They led a simple life with limited needs. Thus they led a purposeful
life never in want for money. They never let their materialistic life
interfere with their quest for truth. This is the legacy that our
ancestors left for ous. Today, we are getting carried by the
materialsistic things in life which can offer only a temporary relief.
Only by switcing over to simple living and high thinking we can set an
example for the World to follow. We have done this in the past and
there is no reason we cannot do it again. People like Renuka chowdhury
and Arundathi roy who hold influentail positions need to introspect
before playing to the gallery.
By K.V.Natarajan
3/2/2009 11:19:00 PM
Sri, What is your "idea"logy :P Dude, first check your spellings and
criticize people with your nonsense. Go and read The Hindu or any
other crap media which has succeeded in brainwashing you.
By retinu
3/2/2009 5:15:00 PM
This article looks like it was cut n pasted from several blogs, each
with their own diverging idealogies. The author is inconsistent with
his 'modern' outlook, confusing homosexuality, feminism and
individuality, and asserting causal reasons between Western liberalism
and, of all things, economic decline. Mr Gurumoorthy, who are you? a
'modern' BJP follower? A supporter of mindless mass clampdowns to
placate the extremist right? A history window-washer, who views all
things quaint as good? Or just a madman ranting his way through
bullshit?
By Sri
3/2/2009 3:28:00 PM
Sohan, just because you reach adulthood it doesn't mean the preceding
18 years were non-existent. In fact anything you are now (like how now
you are with a messed-up head) is a result of your childhood. The most
peculiar character with so called liberal individualists is that they
all have a not-so-great family experience. Get well soon!
By Prashanth
3/2/2009 3:26:00 PM
"even parents could not curb the rights of their wards once they
legally matured" Yes, it's called adulthood. You support yourself, you
become responsible for yourself, you make your own decisions. If my
parents want to control my life, they sure as hell better be prepared
to pay for my housing, my cable, my video games, my clothes, my
entertainment and other stuff for which I earn and buy myself.
Actually, I prefer to work and pay for those myself. Yeeesh, anyone
who thinks that people ought to have legal control over their
offspring into adulthood has got to be seriously messed up in the
head.
By Sohan
3/1/2009 10:37:00 PM
Some of the comments out here have mentioned religion and pseudo-
secularism by the INC. I wish to state that ultra-liberalism, and
unfettered individualism affect all religions and all societies - has
nothing to do with any particular society or religion. Its happened in
the west which was supposed to follow Christianity. It will happen in
India too.
By Mayank
3/1/2009 1:51:00 PM
Gurumurthy is 100% correct. Those who frequently travel abroad must
have noticed "Bible Belts", these are places where people who have
rejected the unbirdled individualism and amoral living, live and work.
These people lead a happy family life that balances work and pleasure
- and do not indulge in 'credit living'. These communities say, "the
Americans fell because of their greed, cash is king, save it, lead a
healthy family life". That is also what our ancient wisdom says. The
West lost it and its rediscovery was costly, we need not repeat the
same even after seeing the ruin of the West!!
By Ramesh Kumar
3/1/2009 12:55:00 AM
Congress party and congress men are anti-hindu and pro-minority ever
since inception.Is it any surprise since that party was founded by a
Britisher.So naturally soul of congress party supports any thing to
appease minority christian and muslim and hates any thing hindu.Our
first rpime minister Nehru went on record saying " I am a hindu by
acccident" menaing he was not proud to say he was a hindu.His mentor
and guide for founding the Nehru dynast, the great Mahatma used to go
on fast whenever a muslim was killed in riots by hindus reacting to a
deadly carnage, but kept quiet when hundreds of hindus were butchered
by jehadi muslim mobs.Ambedakr advised Mahama and Nehru to reptariate
all muslims forcefully to pakistan in 1947, but both stoutly resisted
since they were planning to found Nehru dynasty using minorities as
vote banks and making hindus split into factions and make them
fight.Was Mahatma a british double agent and sent to save british
lives with use of stupid on-violence?Only
By V.Mehta
2/28/2009 12:22:00 PM
Dear Sir, I fully concur with your view that contract based models of
families failed miserably as compared to family as an Insititution. I
have mailed your articles to mynear and dear ones to cheish family as
an institution not merely as an temporay agreemnt to fulfill few
deisres and terninate them as and when we feel bored. We, as Indians
should not fall prey to some western habbits which will not concur
with our ideals and we should follow our traditions without
unnecessarily questioing the motives since almost 100% of ideals were
time tested and proven ones.
By raghu nathan
2/28/2009 10:54:00 AM
cont.. Oh btw, I wouldn't take anything that Friedman character says
seriously. Wasn't he only recently gloating in his book "the world is
flat" that Oh look the Indian muslims are so happy that they are the
only muslims in the whole wide world who haven't taken to terrorism.
Not only was it a sickeningly patronizing statement about India and
Indians, but he has since been proved wrong. Hope he's off somewhere
eating humble pie. I sincerely hope you won't have to do the same
someday. I'm sorry if I came off as harsh, but I do respect your other
views in this same article and I just wanted to provide my feedback.
By AK
2/27/2009 10:41:00 PM
I am disappointed after reading your views Mr. Gurumurthy. It's
strange because I usually like what you write, but this time I cannot
say the same. I hope you're not serious when you lump Gays and
Lesbians into your diatribe against eroding moral societal values?
What do they have to do with families sticking together? Is there an
underlying message in your article that being Gay is somewhat against
India's culture? Surely you cannot mean that. I think Renuka is only
looking to get some votes from the young "loose and forward" women in
the next general elections. Arundathi also wants publicity and
maintain her image as a lunatic. But what is your agenda Mr.
Gurumuthy? You are in a position to command respect and stimulate your
readership. Oh btw, I wouldn't take anything that Friedman character
says seriously. Wasn't he only recently gloating in his book "the
world is flat" that Oh look the Indian muslims are so happy that they
are the only muslims in the whole wide world who haven
By AK
2/27/2009 10:40:00 PM
No other religion and culture has such Rich Heritage of Saints and
Sages as we do. Even to call them as Bharata Ratnas is an
understatement. But for lack of other public titles, we should call
them so. Mahatma Gandhi, drew all his streangth and philosophy from
these saints and put the learning to good use. Only when Indians
realise and educate themselves with ancient teachings of our RISHIS
that we can really progress- not just economic. They showed how to be
happy, irrespective of material conditions. The demonstrated how love
and sacrifice actually bring more Joy than all the money and material
possessions. Unfortunately West learnt nothing from Christ and other
saints. We are blessed with ROLE MODELS for every walk of life and we
should do everything to educate our children about them.
By Murali
2/27/2009 7:46:00 PM
FANTASTIC ARTICLE. Thank God for our Indian/Hindu culture, still
alive in small cities and towns that we don't have Teen Age mothers,
Drug Addicted students, Divorced Families- the list of Western Social
ills can go on. Why are politicians are bent on destroying culture of
Yoga, Meditation, Spirituality by giving it a HINDU name tag? The word
Hindu is given to us. We never had a name, only a way of life. We are
NAMELESS, hence TIMELESS. If the govt. is serious about transforming
society, they should name our SAINTS and SAGES from Kashmir to
Kanyakumari, as BHARAT RATNAS and make their lives and teachings
mandatory reading and study in schools. All our schools and
universities do is to make students memorise info. to get a job. Never
helping to develop CHARACTER.
By Murali
2/27/2009 7:23:00 PM
This Arundathi roy is an eccentric ,genetic lunatic who imagines
herself as a saviour of the country!This woman who raised national
storm by her atrocious views on Kashmir-recession as a solution-
utterly disregarding mother India's sovereign integrity should have
been deported out of India long ago.This shameless creature,now says
she supports every kind of love!Hers is a terribly sick mind craving
for media publicity.Time will come when this woman is drowned in toto
in her own filthy revulsive insane ideas.Enen then this character will
never realise her pathologic views!
By Rajan
2/27/2009 11:25:00 AM
Million thanks to Sri Gurumurthy for his incisive article. CONGRESS =
CULTURE LESS POWER HUNGRY ANTI NATINAL GOONS.
By G.CHANDRA MOHAN
2/27/2009 7:46:00 AM
I am extremely glad that we have journalists like MR.Gurumurthy.He has
the courage and bone to write true views . The growth of english media
(visual media) is very alarming. They are corporate media.There
ultimate aim is money not journalistic values. They give coverages to
only anti gujarath,anti hindu news.because they target so called upper
middle calss people who ashamed of any thing Indian culture.They are
great shame for indian culture. The didn't reported when
Mr.Subramanian swami was insulted.No media mentioned about anti
Bhramin slogans. I hope Mr.Gurumuthry will write about it one time.
By Rajesh
2/27/2009 12:09:00 AM
One thing that is common among most congress men is, lack of
Nationalism, they hate anything that roots in our tradition blindly,
this, in a way help them to subvert "Hindu Culture" to show off their
secular credentials. Today media is biggest traitor to this
nation,supported by foreign funds and foreign ideology they resort to
subverting anything that is our culture. They know well that this
nation which is constitutionally secular is still Hindu in nature,
hence they part easily with nationalism.Unlike Americas we should not
restrict our nationalism to sports like Cricket, we have cultural
heritage to protect and that should define nationalism
By Raghavendra
2/26/2009 8:50:00 AM
Traces of the Walker’s colours
Shevlin Sebastian
First Published : 09 Jan 2010 10:15:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 09 Jan 2010 12:49:34 AM IST
Twenty-eight years have passed since Alice Walker released The Color
Purple, and the book still continues to be a topic of discussion among
the literary circles across the globe. That has stunned the author
herself — despite the tag that the epistolary work enjoys as her most
popular novel. “It is so enormous and unexpected,” the 65-year-old
American says, recently on her short stay in faraway Kerala.
For the record, the book, released in 1982, has sold millions of
copies. In 1995, it was made into a critically acclaimed movie, with
Whoopi Goldberg playing the lead role of Celie Harris. In 2005, it was
staged as a musical. “It was on Broadway for three years and is now
touring,” she says. “Wherever it goes there has been a popular
reaction.”
Alice tries to analyse the reasons behind the success. “There is a
need in people to know that someone sees their silent suffering and
endurance,” she says. “And in each of them, just like in the novel,
there is an inner voice which says, ‘I don’t care how you grind me
down, but I refuse to be destroyed.’”
The book has had a resonance across cultures. In China, The Color
Purple was a bestseller. “When I went there they were afraid to tell
me it sold well,” the Georgia-born writer says. “When I asked why,
they said, ‘You might ask for royalties.’”
Alice suddenly bursts out laughing at this point, as she reclines on a
sofa in the lobby of the Taj Malabar at Kochi. She was in India on a
15-day trip, as a member of the Distinguished Visitors Programme of
the Indian Council For Cultural Relations. Her first stop was the
slender southern state, after which she went to Bangalore, Delhi and
Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.
In person, Alice is full of light, but her themes are dark. They
include rape, violence, troubled relationships, child abuse, and
racism. Why is it so? “I come across people suffering from this all
the time. It is a planetary problem. People are sexist and mean. In
India, too, there is domestic violence and child abuse.”
Alice, the youngest of eight children in her family at Eatonton,
blames the ill-treatment of children as the root-cause of all the
problems. “(Adolf) Hitler was beaten terribly by his father as was
Saddam Hussein by his step-father,” she says. “What do we learn from
this? Parents should treat children well. Because, later, it swings
right round again and hits society on the face.”
However, she strongly believes that society in America has been
changing for the better following the election of Barack Obama as the
first black president last year. “Relations between the Blacks and the
Whites are less strained of late,” says Alice. “Many White people have
felt bad because they knew that Black people had never been given a
chance to come up. Their guilt has been assuaged. The mental block is
gone too.”
Of course Alice has been an Obama fan right from the early days of his
presidential campaign. “He is an incredibly intelligent, charismatic,
thoughtful, well-spoken, philosophical and handsome person. I love him
unconditionally, although I don’t agree with him on some major
issues.”
War is one subject. “Any war, be it in Iraq or Afghanistan, is a dead
end,” she says. “It is stupid and represents a huge waste of money and
lives.”
Apart from wars, Alice has been waging a single-minded campaign
against the brutal practice of female genital mutilation, which takes
place throughout Africa. “It has been going on for 7,000 years,” she
says. “But consciousness is changing.” Recently, the practice was
stopped in Uganda.
Two years ago, Imams of several African countries met during a
conference in Egypt and banned it. But the problem in Africa is that
villages are so far apart that people rarely hear the news. “So, it
will take a long time for the practice to be fully eradicated,” she
says.
When things get too painful, Alice retreats into her writing.
“Creativity is magical,” she says. “There is nothing like it.” Like
most gifted writers, for Alice, the characters come alive and take
over the narrative. “I can see them clearly in my mind,” she says.
“Sometimes, in the middle of the night, when I awaken, I can hear them
talking. When you work with them all the time, they grow up, right in
front of your eyes, just like children.”
Interestingly, this major writer does not rewrite at all. And the
reason is rooted in her childhood.
“When I was little, I had terrible brothers,” she says, trailing back
to her childhood days. “They would tear up anything I wrote. So I
learnt to do all the corrections in the head. I could not understand
how other writers would write something, and throw the paper away. It
was only much later that I realised I was doing the editing
mentally.”
One result is that Alice has been extremely prolific: more than thirty
books of prose, poetry, and non-fiction. And she is charmed by the
different genres. “Poetry is not something you choose,” she says. “It
chooses you. I love writing novels because you can live in a whole
other reality for a couple of years. Non-fiction is challenging
because you have to get your facts right and there is a limited number
of words. They are like short stories. You need to say so much in a
small space.”
Her deft skills have been much appreciated. Alice has won numerous
honours, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as a
National Book Award (both in 1983), besides the O Henry Award.
Whenever she takes a break from writing, Alice is busy travelling,
with her partner, the longhaired South Korean, Garret Larson.
Recently, she had been to Myanmar and to the Gaza Strip. “I wrote that
what Israel has done in Gaza is similar to the genocide committed by
the Hutus over the Tutsis in Rwanda,” she says. “The only difference
is that the Israelis do the killing in a high-tech way.”
Beyond the window of her room, coconut trees sway in the breeze
mildly, as if acknowledging the words from a conscience of the world.
‘A superb writer apart, Alice is a great human being’
“My son used to say, ‘Mom, you are Alice Walker,’” says Sobhana
Kurien, an English lecturer at a leading college in south-central
Kerala. “Indeed, my family speaks of Alice as if she is a member of
the family. There are so many books by her on my bookshelf.”
Sobhana, now working with CMS College in Kottayam, first came across
Alice’s writings in the 1980s when The Color Purple was prescribed for
the post-graduate course and she had to teach it. “When I read the
novel I became fascinated,” she says. Thereafter, Sobhana did her M
Phil as well as her PhD, which she received from Mahatma Gandhi
University in 2006, on the writings of Alice.
Apart from The Color Purple, Sobhana was moved by Possessing the
Secret of Joy, a novel about female genital mutilation in a tribal
village in Africa. “Not many people know that genital mutilation can
induce severe haemorrhage and can be the cause of AIDS in some cases,”
says Sobhana. “Alice wrote this novel as a plea against this horrible
practice.”
When Sobhana heard the news that Alice was coming to a school in
Kottayam, she became very excited. She ensured that she was able to
meet the distinguished writer. “It was one of the great moments of my
life,” she says. “Alice is a sweet, warm and affectionate person.”
When she told Alice about her 15-year-long study of her works, the
African-American said, “Amazing!” And a thrilled Sobhana replied, “I
just cannot believe that I am holding the hands of my favourite
writer.”
Alice smiled and autographed the dissertation.
“Apart from being a superb writer, Alice is also a great human being,”
says Sobhana.
‘Out in this serene country, a smile would not get you in trouble ’
On her road trips in Kerala, Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker was
disturbed to observe a construction boom in the state. “I am concerned
about it,” says Alice.
“Development can be fast and unplanned. In the process it can damage
the landscape, the animals, and the forests permanently. There is a
clear difference between the part of Kerala where so much construction
is going on and the backwaters where things have remained the same for
thousands of years.”
Alice spent a couple of days wandering around the backwaters of
Allapuzha on a houseboat. “There was such a feeling of serenity,” says
Alice. “The people may be poorer than in the cities, but they seem to
have more tranquility, self-regard, and patience.”
So how would she compare the people of Kerala with those of the United
States? “Keralites,” she says, “are more friendly, open, and humane.
Americans are materialistic, closed, and afraid.”
Alice was also much taken up by the easy smiles of the populace. “I
see that the people understand that a smile is a gift easily given,
and why not? (Buddhist teacher) Thich Nhat Hanh said, ‘A smile is yoga
for the face’. In America, people feel that a smile may get you in
trouble.”
— SS
bademiyansubhanallah
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, JAN 29
Those lured to employ children below 14 years of age in their
establishments will have to think twice before doing so. The
Department of Women and Child Development has come out with a plan of
action to swoop down upon such establishments employing children.
As per the plan of action constituted under the provisions of the Goa
Children’s Act 2003, these establishments will have to face surprise
inspections by inspectors of the Labour Department. All the
establishments will have to maintain an inspection register that has
to be kept open for inspection by authorities concerned with child
labour.
The Labour Commissioner will have to submit a consolidated report of
the inspections of the labour inspectors to the Secretary for Women
and Child Development every quarter specifying action taken against
the erring establishments. This plan will involve an NGO working in
the field of child rights.
The action plan will deal with child labour in households, beaches and
markets. For this purpose, a district inspection team will be
constituted. This team will further have a child labour task force for
every taluka and municipal areas.
The child labour task force will consist of executive magistrate,
police sub-inspector (one attached to Juvenile Assistant Police Unit),
labour inspector, a social worker/NGO and municipal inspectors for
municipal areas.
The NGO involved in the plan will take the responsibility to
rehabilitate rescued children. The NGO or Apna Ghar with whom the
child is placed will have to ensure that the child is provided with
proper education including skilled/vocational training.
The rescued children will be handed over to their parents provided
these swear before a magistrate or notary stating they will not engage
their wards in child labour any more. A state-level body headed by the
Secretary (Women and Child Development) will review action plan every
six months.
GSCW to seek details on Russian minor case
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, JAN 29
The Goa State Commission for Women (GSCW) today said that it will seek
details of the Russian minor alleged rape case from the Goa police.
GSCW chairperson Ezilda Sapeco told reporters here she will be calling
for the details of police investigations into the minor's rape.
Sapeco said that it is a shameful thing that such things are taking
place in Goa.
"These things should not happen,” she said adding “I will ask the
police for all the details related to this case.”
She said that she will also seek details of all the past such cases
too; in order to figure out what exactly goes wrong while
investigating such crimes.
Sapeco said Goa needed to work overtime to shed off evil shadow of
body crimes against foreigners.
"Goa needs to shed this image as soon as possible. As it is causing a
lot of damage to the state," Sapeco said.
"The comments feature has been suspended until further notice because
of the posting of abusive and objectionable comments. "
Systematic effort to malign Goa’s image: Hariprasad
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, JAN 29
Giving a new twist to the Russian minor girl’s rape case in Goa, the
All India Congress Committee General Secretary BK Hariprasad today
said that Goa’s name is being "systematically tarnished".
"There is a systematic campaign going on to malign the image of Goa,"
Hariprasad, in-charge of Goa desk, told reporters here when asked for
his reaction on the recent spate of rapes in the state.
He said we must not allow this thing to happen. "Even a small thing
becomes a international news and the states name, which is a major
tourist destination, is being tarnished," Hariprasad said adding
“these (rapes of foreigners) are isolated things which are highlighted
beyond proportion.”
Asked who is responsible for doing so, he replied, "We do not know but
we have to take steps so that such things do not happen," he stated.
To a query, he said, "just blaming the home minister and the chief
minister in the matter will not help."
"Everybody has to take responsibility for the situation," he said.
Criticizing State Tourism Minister Mickky Pacheco for his comments
against the home minister in the Russian’s rape, he said, "Mickky
should also own responsibility as he is also the part of the state
cabinet."
"If he has any grievances he should put it at the Congress-NCP co-
ordination committee and not to media," he said.
In wake of the Russian’s rape, the coalition partners NCP, MGP and the
independent MLAs are gunning for the head of the State Home Minister,
who they say has failed to handle his responsibility.
This is the third sexual assault case on a Russian in Goa, with a 25
year old girl alleging rape by politician on December 1, thereafter
another girl alleged one tried to rape her during Christmas.
"The comments feature has been suspended until further notice because
of the posting of abusive and objectionable comments. "
http://www.oheraldo.in/news/Local%20News/Systematic%20effort%20to%20malign%20Goa’s%20image:%20Hariprasad/32852.html
Police directed not to arrest school principal
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, JAN 29
While Children’s Court will hear the anticipatory bail application on
February 1, filed by Principal of Rose Garden Primary School, Saunlo
Chodankar, the police have been directed not to arrest him.
The principal of Rose Garden Primary School has been charged by
Porvorim police for allegedly harassing a minor student in the school.
In his application, Chodankar has denied the allegations of harassment
saying the student was issued leaving certificate this month due to
his repeated misbehaviour in the class .
In its extra ordinary general meeting held on January 7, 2010 the PTA
resolved to struck of the name of student from the school enrolment
and instructed him to issue the leaving certificate to him. He further
stated that the school teachers had informed him about his
misbehaviour that disturbed other students. This was brought to the
notice of the student’s parent but there was no improvement in his
behaviour.
The PTA meeting was convened to decide the case in the interest of
other students which was attended by majority of the parents and took
the decision.
"The comments feature has been suspended until further notice because
of the posting of abusive and objectionable comments. "
Russian rape bid accused in police net
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, JAN 29
Goa Police today arrested UP native Aman Bharadwaj, accused in the
attempt to rape case of 9-year-old Russian girl, and his accomplice
Anil Kumar Raghuvanshi.
Aman was arrested this evening from Mumbai by a Goa police team.
“Aman was arrested from Chembur in Mumbai this evening,” North Goa
Superintendent of Police Bosco George told Herald.
The SP, however, did not divulge much in the case saying the accused
is being brought to Goa now.
The Goa police had yesterday requested help of Mumbai Crime Branch to
track down the accused.
Earlier in morning, Anil Kumar Raghuvanshi, the accomplice of the main
accused surrendered to the police.
Anil, had allegedly engaged the Russian mother into conversation while
Aman sexually assaulted the minor girl.
“Anil was picked up from the Panjim bus stand this morning, where he
had come to surrender,” Deputy Inspector General of Police Ravindra
Yadav told reporters.
Yadav said Anil had contacted police yesterday itself and today he was
planning to flee to Bangalore.
“Today we called him again and convinced him to surrender,” Yadav
stated.
Both Aman and Anil work for a pharma company called Intech in Pernem,
few kilometers away from the place where the incident took place.
Pernem correspondent adds: Pernem police on Friday produced Anil Kumar
Raghuvanshi before the Pernem Judicial Magistrate First Class, who
remanded him to seven days in police custody.According to Pernem
police, some employees of the pharmaceutical company at Dhargal had
gone to Arambol beach on Tuesday. While one group remained at the main
beach area, Raghuvanshi and the prime accused, Aman Bharadwaj
separated from the group and walked towards the Kolamb area, nearly 1
km from the main beach area, where Bharadwaj was accused of sexually
assaulting the nine-year-old Russian girl.
"The comments feature has been suspended until further notice because
of the posting of abusive and objectionable comments. "
Delhi girl was alive 12 hrs in hospital Dad says she never used drugs,
rules out foul play
Delhi girl was alive 12 hrs in hospital Dad says she never used drugs,
rules out foul play
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, DEC 31
The 23-year-old Delhi girl Neha Bahuguna, who allegedly died due to a
drug overdose yesterday was admitted to the hospital as she was not
feeling well and was alive for 12 hours after admission, the police
disclosed today.
The police are piecing today clues from various quarters to examine
the case . We are trying to find out whether she spoke to anybody
during the time when the trouble started, Goa Police spokesperson
Superintendent of Police Atmaram Deshpande told reporters.
Stating that the Sunburn festival organizers would be under scrutiny
for the death of Neha, he said a case of unnatural death has been
registered at the Calangute police station.
�The post-mortem on the girls body was conducted today and her viscera
has been preserved for chemical analysis,� the SP said.
He said the cause of death is still unknown and the report of viscera
would be crucial.
Deshpande said that the ground staff of the Sunburn festival would be
under scrutiny.
�The Sunburn officials, ground staff, people running stalls will be
quizzed,� he said adding �We have also asked for the CCTV footage.�
Giving details of the deceased girl, Deshpande said, she was a Delhi
girl working in ITC Resort, Bangalore and had come for the festival
along with her friends.
Meanwhile, Manu Bahuguna, the father of Neha, ruled out foul play in
his daughter�s death and also refused to file a police complaint in
the matter.
�It is for the police to investigate the matter on their own,�
Bahuguna told reporters.
Bahuguna said that his daughter had no history of drug consumption.
�She had no history of drug consumption and was suffering from a bi-
polar disorder�, he said.
He also said the deceased was under medication for the illness.
�She did not take the medicine because she thought she is not unwell,�
Bahuguna said.
On whether he suspected foul play in the case he said �no.�
�We don�t suspect foul play and if anyone has to be taken to task for
her death, it should be done by police,� Bahuguna said.
The three-day festival held at Candolim beach concluded on December
29, the day when Neha was shifted to Vintage hospital in Panjim.
Doctors at the hospital said the girl was brought in with breathing
complications and died on December 30. Hospital authorities confirmed
that she was brought in from the festival venue.
"The comments feature has been suspended until further notice because
of the posting of abusive and objectionable comments. "
bademiyansubhanallah
Children of Hindu dominated India, Nepal and Muslim Dominated Pakistan
and Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Kashmir, as also Buddhist and Hindu
dominated Sri Lanka have worst childhoods. Children, when they are
allowed to come to this world, thanks to the boorish Hindu penchant to
stop their female fetuses from developing to maturity and see the
daylight of their extremely crowded, unsanitary and devoid of any
sense of homes, thousands are sacrificed. This goes on with the
knowledge, permission and sanctions of social leaders, medical
doctors, all the religious factions and the law of the land.
Infant mortality rates, at the levels of twenty-five to fifty percent,
very common at the beginning of this century, have been checked.
Thanks to the general awareness among the young family not to have as
many kids as the woman is capable of giving birth to. Modern city
families start late on account minimum marriageable laws passed after
the independence and one's professional or career paths, which delay
the getting in the mood of hitching in mariage.
The metropolitan, sprawling complexes have made it practically
impossible to have an independent living accommodation for the young
couples. This crowding factor is another damper to the procravity of
the young. Even though the modern couples find themselves working,
together whatever money they make is not sufficient to raise a large
family.
The urban middle class, it seems have adopted a two children limit for
them selves, not on account of Jawaharlal Nehru's vigorous propaganda
and the subsequent government's generous offers for sterilization for
those who could not have managed any more children in the family.
The poor of the urban and the poor of the rural area are the two
sectors having a marathon of some sorts to make more and more babies
without regard to the children's welfare. Poor families use their
women and children, just as soon as a child is capable of doing a
labor of some kind, including the hazardous, dirty and menial labor to
bring few more rupees for the maintenance of the family.
Such children are malnourished, abused and made to work against their
own better judgment. They drop out of the schools or never enter into
free, or almost free public school system. The laws that allow the
authorities to take precaution or sanctions against the habitual
violators are never implemented as it is more of a social workers
delicate and convincing approach that works better.
As against the United States' social welfare laws and agencies whose
work is of utmost importance in removing any abuse at that level,
Indian agencies are huge bureacracies where jobs are distributed more
on the basis of political patronage than the qualification or the
desire to work their bones off to make the change.
In the end, as this case of Pakistani child molester killing hundred
youg children after having violated them, only disastors of that
magnitude draws some attention to the carcinogenic child abuse
problem. Hindu hoodlums have made a great deal about WTO fiasco. The
United States of America, especially the president, Bill Clinton has
called a strict laws, retaliation, sanctions to all those where child
labor is used to make products to be sold in America and other western
countries.
Such references to the child labor and the products of child labor to
make profit has been not only denounced by the representatives of the
government of India, Jay Dubhashi like deluded dunces make rounds
among the jingoistic dingo dogs of Hindu hoodlums who would rather cut
their noses to spite the USA for such intransigance.
If not child labor, child abuse, child neglect India and Pakistan have
shown a great degree of immoral behavior in enticing the female
children into a roaring prostitution rackets. The movement to the
centers of manufacture and trade invites the poor male villagers like
drove of locusts. Such persons make a go at making money and support
their families at home by sending them money. The harsh work
conditions coupled with horrible living accommodations and the
perpetual loneliness makes these earning youth to vist the local
brothels in large numbers. The prostitution in these countries are
practically a major business. Thousands are entertained and affected
with sexually transmitted diseases, including but nt limited to the
AIDS.
AIDS has become the biggest scare among the sex workers as they have
no means to screen their clientel, neither there is general awareness
among the patrons to disclose their known conditions. The secret
understanding among the respectable community is to keep mum about
person's immoral behavior. If not today, definitely tomorrow a black
plage like scourge is going to visit on these immoral bunch. Then it
would be too late to take any concrete action.
Thanks to my good buddy hrusa for following newspaper article in
Pakistan. This was posted in ho...@topica.com on December 12, 1999.
Sid Harth..."A society that is as reckless as this may surely need to
be given a billion volts worth of a cultural shock to make them look
at their morally defunct wayward ways."
--
http://www.comebackkid.com/
From: hr...@hotmail.com
Subject: Pakistan: Horrors of Child Abuse
letter to the Editor, Daily Dawn, Dec 12, 1999
If the child is not for burning
By Aziz Siddiqui
A SOCIETY is doomed always to pay for its neglects. If it loses its
capacity to recognize or to sufficiently and timely react against,
daily wrongs, those wrongs are certain now and again to rebound on a
scale or in a form to shock or confound it. This doesn't happen only
in politics.
The popular unease still lingers over the episode of the Lahore
psychopath who claimed to have lured, abused and disposed of a hundred
boys in a way rarely more calculated and cold-blooded since the
slaughter of the babes of Bethlehem. The outrage is the worse for want
of an easy scapegoat. It delays the guilt being washed off from the
social conscience and forgotten.
There had also to be an explanation big and devious enough to fit the
crime. When an accomplice to the killing was tortured and himself
killed by the investigating team, a meaning was quickly read into the
act. He was silenced, it was said, so he could not sing. There had to
be powerful figures behind the crime.
Possibly so. But, also possibly not. None of what happened was
unlikely to happen even without the involvement of powerful
influentials. Not unlikely that young boys should run away from homes
loiter around Data Darbar langar to allay the pangs of hunger, be
lured by any other offers of good food, some good time and even
perhaps the prospect of future livelihood, and then disposed of in the
manner these were done by a person who had for some reason become
immune to any thoughts of immorality or brutality of his acts. Not
unlikely even that this happened not in one or two or ten cases, but a
hundred of them one after the other, and that this became known only
when the culprit himself decided to make it known. Ghastly as the
tragedy is, it may not need any special explanations. It is liable to
happen in the kind of circumstances we have created.
The episode is special only in that it brings together almost all the
major ills that much of the child population of the country is exposed
to. Poverty, neglect and violence within the family, child labour,
kidnapping, sexual abuse, and even the eventual silencing of the child
victim are separately common enough phenomena. They have only joined
together to produce this present calamity.
If close to 50 million of the population, most of them children, live
below subsistence level, many of those children will be sucker for any
temptation on offer. If 11 million of the 5-10 year olds have no
schools to go to, it will take no special cunning to entice a few
hundred or thousand of them into a spidery web. If the police picks
them up from the streets by the thousand (there are 2,850 in Punjab
jails just now), it is no wonder that a few get lured by the likes of
Javed Iqbal. And when those taken in by the police finally come out,
having kept the kind of company they did inside the jail day after day
after, it should be no surprise if they then become easy prey to
prowlers around Data Darbar and elsewhere.
It causes no concern but there are thousands of parents in the course
of a year who are obliged by their poverty to sell off their children,
many to be smuggled abroad for lucrative business, such as playing
jockeys to racing camels. A survey of Karachi's street children last
April found that their uncomprehending minds were especially
susceptible to their abuse. Close to a quarter of them lived on
beggary, and a substantial number on prostitution.
The prevalence of child sex abuse isn't commonly recognized. There is
a sort of conspiracy of silence - partly perhaps from the shame of it
and partly because of the helplessness of no one's being in a position
to do anything about it. But the thousand or so cases that do get
reported in the press annually are only a fraction of the actual
incidence, especially if the professional practice of it is also taken
into account. There have been surveys and newspaper stories about the
areas of its prevalence.
If into a situation such as this a psychopath steps in, he is quite
likely to cause the havoc this one did. It is even the kind of
situation that can itself make psychopaths of feeble minds. And given
the circumstances, it was almost the kind of tragedy that was waiting
to happen.
Can we then carry on as we have been doing?
Javed Iqbal destroyed a hundred children and shattered a hundred
families. The insensitivity of the test of us is causing many, many
other tender ones to suffer not a very different fate. Only their
agony is prolonged. Their bodies and minds are getting dissolved not
overnight but by a thousand subtractions - in sweatshops, begar camps
and as domestic slaves, in streets, prostitution dens and in some of
the so-called deeni madaris. If the Lahore incident has to have an
explanation, it lies somewhere there. The guilt doesn't end just with
Javed Iqbal, Ishaq Billa and any powerful hands that might have been
behind them.
This larger problem is, of course, not easy to tackle. But it becomes
infinitely more difficult if there is a refusal to recognize its
existence. When certain NGOs in the country first began talking of the
tyranny of child labour, for instance, the government set its face
against acknowledging that it existed at all. Those raising the issue
were foreign agents, said one minister. Later where the criticism
began to be echoed abroad with some vehemence, the cabinet of the time
set up a special fund. That fund was not meant for winding down child
labour, it was devoted to fighting the foreign 'propaganda' about it!
As a signatory to the UN Convention on Child Rights, Pakistan's
progress report on the situation here was due for presentation in
Geneva in 1996. It has not been dispatched yet. First it took the
National Commission on Child Welfare and Development, the social
welfare departments and certain NGOs that were enlisted unconscionably
long putting together a presentable draft of it. When at length that
hurdle was somehow gotten over the document got stuck up at the
foreign office. They have been worried not because the report is
faulty but because it would project a bad image of Pakistan!
We can fool ourselves by burying our heads in the sand. We can seek to
fool others by blocking their view too. But that will not make the
reality go away. That reality will keep exploding in our faces in a
variety of ways. That attitude ought to change now.
There should first be a recognition of the problem. There should then
be an appraisal of its dimensions. And there should finally be
beginnings of earnest action.
It should first be resolved that no child of school-going age is going
to be out of school. The primary responsibility of that will have to
be the government's and the parents'. But the cooperation
of the community has also to be enlisted. Every neighbourhood should
be persuaded to join the effort to get all the children in its area
into some kind of classrooms.
Secondly, it should be decided to pull all working children out of
hazardous occupations as speedily as possible. And do that not just
for appearances, ILO has listed these occupations in its latest
resolution. So far child labour has been tackled here only to the
extent that foreign importers of our goods were interested, and only
to the extent that foreign assistance was available. Even that has
mostly served only to drive much of the concerned child labour into
areas of less visibility. Outside of that Pakistan's own effort has
mostly been insignificant. (Which is apparently one of the many
reasons why the foreign office is unwilling to send a
report out).
Thirdly, crimes against children should be made a separate arm of the
fight against crimes. Especial cells with especially trained personnel
should deal with kidnapping, trafficking, abuse, violence and all the
other offences against children. Kidnapping for instance is now
treated rather lightly. Police thanas are known often to dismiss those
complaints with a wave of hand -often also because it is usually the
children of the poor who are kidnapped. (Typical responses that have
been quoted: "Mai, have patience. When his money runs out your boy
will come back." Or.
"If we keep running after complaints like yours we'll be able to do
nothing else"). Recoveries for that reason are always low. That has to
change too if the present grief of a hundred families is to leave any
burden on the social conscience.
The list of do's can include a few more essentials. But the point of
departure is for the government and the rest of us to decide that we
have a especial responsibility towards our children. All our children.
And that, to the extent we can help it, we shall permit no further
wrong. That is the least we can do if the current shock is to end
constructively and chasteningly.
http://indiafamily.net/talk/messages/80/1534.html%3F1047082637