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Written by Bansi Uday Mehta
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Saturday, 13 February 2010 17:06 |
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Democracy is a perception rather than an accomplished ideal. In India, where democratic principles find place in civics textbooks, they gradually sublime at the operational level from society to an individual. The expression of protecting the human right to live freely and fairly finds its relevance more often in the skyscrapers in the urban limits than it does at the grass root level. The guardians of the fundamental human rights have turned into criminals who abuse power for their vested interests.
Democracy is a more a form of government and less of an ideology that a country practices. However, there are several instances where Indians were deprived of their fundamental rights. One of the classic examples is the Emergency declared in 1975 by the Indira Gandhi government. It was termed as the black period, as it changed the very dynamics of the democratic institutions across the nation. It was then that the police force was given undue power resulting in a wholesale violation of human rights. The presently ubiquitous belief among Indians that the police or the defense system in the country is above the law owes its existence to that period. If we were to consider more recent examples, the Shopian case is still vividly imprinted on our minds.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 14 February 2010 10:51 |
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Written by Aileen S. Marques
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Sunday, 30 November 2008 00:00 |
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- 12-year old Laxmi* was lured by her classmates to travel to Kolkata (capital of West Bengal, a state in India) for a picnic and later sold in the train.
- 10-year old Sneha* accompanied her 16 year-old sister Surya* to the dream city Mumbai in search of a job. Surya works as a domestic help while Sneha is hired for zari / embroidery work.
- Ramesh*, a 15-year old rag-picker is missing. His neighbours say they saw him being chatting with a drug-addict. * names changed to protect identity
Young children go missing from the small towns and villages in India. Some run-away on being lured by the dreams of the big city, while others are carried away to be sold for meager gains…
The birth of a child (read male) in India meant celebration. Sweets are distributed and the atmosphere is one of merriment. Neighbours and relatives greet the parents and the new born baby is showered with blessings and gifts. Children are considered as God’s gift to the family. While this is true and relevant in many parts of India and the world at large, a stark reality hits us when we read the newspapers and are informed about the alarming rate at which children go missing from their homes and the increasing number of child labourers found in every sector of employment.
A child is one of the worst marginalized sections in the societal spectrum. Children are found in most realms of institutions, and more so in places they are not supposed to be. Child soldiers, child sex workers, child labourers, bonded labourers, child brides, rag pickers, beggars, manual scavengers, domestic workers, camel jockeys in dangerous races etc.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 17 May 2009 11:03 |
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How Families are responsible for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of ChiIdren's Rights |
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Written by Swapneshwar Goutam
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Tuesday, 17 March 2009 00:00 |
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In several part of the world, child protection laws have been undergoing review, as societies approach to terms with the area of the problem of child abuse, and the need to perk up the capability of public responses to abused and deserted children. Children may be particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation given their dependency on others and their limited ability to protect themselves. Sexual abuse and exploitation can take a range of forms including rape, commercial sexual exploitation and domestic abuse. Sexual exploitation has far-reaching effects for the physical and mental health of a child. It is estimated that one million children (mainly adolescent girls but also a significant number of adolescent boys) enter the multi-billion dollar sex trade each year (Asmita Naik). We must not forget that the children’s are the ultimate goal for development. Our efforts for a progress in the human condition must start as early as possible begging with the child and mother well before the child is born. So that human right which belongs to an individual as a consequence of being a human can be protected in the changing world. Emphasis must be on the need for children to have security( Parkinson Patrick) and protecting the health and education of today’s children is the first and foremost right of these children but it is also the most basic and wisest of all investment in social and economic development of society.( Proff. Karl- Eric Kuntsson’s)
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Last Updated on Friday, 19 June 2009 11:58 |
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The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India |
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Written by Luisa Teresa Salazar de Nordlander
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Sunday, 14 June 2009 17:08 |
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We would like to direct our attention towards one of our members, Shelley Seale, who will publish her book “The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India” ton the 5th of June. 25 million children of India who have been orphaned, abandoned or trafficked and her book follow her journey into the slums of India and her involvement with these children. Below you will find the synopsis and more information about Shelley.
Synopsis by Shelley Seale: By now, everyone had either seen, or at least heard of, the movie Slumdog Millionaire, about the lives of two brothers who come from the slums of Mumbai – made even more desperate after they are orphaned. What many don’t know, however, is that for 25 million children in India, the harsh world depicted in the movie is their everyday reality. Yes, that’s 25 million kids. My book, The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India, follows my journey over the past four years into the streets, orphanages and slums of India where these children live without families or homes of their own. I became immersed in their world, a witness to their struggles – but also their joys, their incredible hope and resilience that amazed me time and time again. The ability of their spirits to overcome crippling challenges inspired me. My sole purpose in writing this book was to give these millions of children a voice that could be heard by others in the world who, I was convinced, would be as moved by their plights as I was.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 June 2009 16:47 |
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