WOMEN AND CHILDREN RIGHTS
"Wars cannot be won by destroying women and children."
-William D Leahy
-William D Leahy
The GRoup Members
Women Rights
She was 14, maybe 16, when they raped her.
It was 1972, and I was 9. The India of her youth was the India of mine -- except she lived in utter poverty.
She was an orphaned adivasi, a tribal girl, and she performed the most menial of jobs to put bread in her belly. She collected cow dung with her bare hands, shaped it into patties, slapped them on walls to dry and then sold them as fuel. It's a sight and smell familiar to me. I used to watch women in my Kolkata neighborhood do the same thing, using the back wall of my grandfather's house. I couldn't imagine plunging my hand into piles of animal waste.
But rape knows no boundaries of class or culture.
After it happened, she might as well have worn a scarlet letter on her chest.
Such was the stigma of rape in India then.
She was brave to speak out and did what few women back then did.
She took her case to court.
But the highest court of the land did not believe she was telling the truth.
The justices overturned the convictions of her attackers, two police constables who maintained their innocence, and set them free.
Her case was monumental, both from a social and legal perspective.
It sparked public protest for the first time about rape in India and led to the reform of sexual assault laws.
It gave rise to a women's movement in India, sprouting a host of groups dedicated to empowering women.
At last, people here began to see gender-based violence for what it really is: a brutal act of power.
It was 1972, and I was 9. The India of her youth was the India of mine -- except she lived in utter poverty.
She was an orphaned adivasi, a tribal girl, and she performed the most menial of jobs to put bread in her belly. She collected cow dung with her bare hands, shaped it into patties, slapped them on walls to dry and then sold them as fuel. It's a sight and smell familiar to me. I used to watch women in my Kolkata neighborhood do the same thing, using the back wall of my grandfather's house. I couldn't imagine plunging my hand into piles of animal waste.
But rape knows no boundaries of class or culture.
After it happened, she might as well have worn a scarlet letter on her chest.
Such was the stigma of rape in India then.
She was brave to speak out and did what few women back then did.
She took her case to court.
But the highest court of the land did not believe she was telling the truth.
The justices overturned the convictions of her attackers, two police constables who maintained their innocence, and set them free.
Her case was monumental, both from a social and legal perspective.
It sparked public protest for the first time about rape in India and led to the reform of sexual assault laws.
It gave rise to a women's movement in India, sprouting a host of groups dedicated to empowering women.
At last, people here began to see gender-based violence for what it really is: a brutal act of power.
Anger and globalization among young people in India
The difficulties of defining identity in the context of rapid globalization where people are exposed to diverse cultural forces that may conflict with each other are particularly salient when dealing with anger. Anger frequently results from thwarted wants and needs. In globalizing developing economies, young people often face inequitable access and opportunities that may be cause for distress-anger and depression. However, the skills to deal with anger are frequently culturally determined and may not be effective in situations where multiple cultural rules are operational. For example, India being a collectivist culture traditionally encourages the suppression of anger. However, situations and rules of conduct in a global economic order require the assertive expression of anger and the confrontation of conflict. Research that is methodologically and culturally appropriate is needed in exploring these issues and ameliorating distress associated with inequity, conflicts, and challenges.
80% INDIAN YOUTH IS ANGRY
2-year NIMHANS study finds a direct relation between aggression and academic performance among Gen Y
The graph of youth involved in violence has been constantly moving upward. To study aggression levels amongst Gen Y in India, a NIMHANS expert team conducted a two-year survey in five Indian cities. The verdict is shocking: Eight out of 10 youth in the 15-26 years age group are angry.
Bangalore, the country's youngest metro, is at fourth position with 79.45% of its youth found to be aggressive. The youth in Gangtok are the 'coolest' as they are at the bottom with 76.4 per cent. The Gen Y at Indore is the most angry with a whopping 91.67 per cent. Jammu follows with 83.08 per cent and Kochi is third with 79.96 per cent.
The study conducted by Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology and Dr P Marimuthu, Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics, NIMHANS was released in May this year. About 3,600 youngsters were surveyed.
"Increasing number of crimes involving adolescents and children triggered this study. We found there were many factors which lead to aggression amongst young people. It can be a trivial fight with their peers or family disputes, substance use, lack of love or physical and sexual abuse," said Dr Sharma.
The cultural difference between the North and South might be a factor behind the temperamental difference of the youth in these two regions, Dr Sharma said.
A higher percentage of women engaged in verbal aggression (95.3 per cent vs. 92.8 per cent), while males went for severe physical aggression (4.6 per cent vs. 2 per cent). The female partner, the butt of most of these aggressive actions, ended up with consequences like slight cuts/bruises, broken nose, black eye, broken bones and requiring medical treatment/hospitalisation. Women reportedly attacked their partners while under the influence of emotional states of intense anger (22.4 per cent vs. 13.9 per cent), while men did so in response to aggression received (13.0 per cent vs. 6.6 per cent). Physical aggression decreased significantly across the age groups, but health consequences became more severe with age. For example, broken noses, black eyes and broken bones went from 1 per cent at 16 years to 4.5 per cent at 20.
Risk factors strongly related to later violence was distributed among hyperactivity (parent rating), low academic performance, peer delinquency, and availability of drugs in the neighbourhood. The ratings predicted violence from ages 10, 14, and 16 years.
The difficulties of defining identity in the context of rapid globalization where people are exposed to diverse cultural forces that may conflict with each other are particularly salient when dealing with anger. Anger frequently results from thwarted wants and needs. In globalizing developing economies, young people often face inequitable access and opportunities that may be cause for distress-anger and depression. However, the skills to deal with anger are frequently culturally determined and may not be effective in situations where multiple cultural rules are operational. For example, India being a collectivist culture traditionally encourages the suppression of anger. However, situations and rules of conduct in a global economic order require the assertive expression of anger and the confrontation of conflict. Research that is methodologically and culturally appropriate is needed in exploring these issues and ameliorating distress associated with inequity, conflicts, and challenges.
80% INDIAN YOUTH IS ANGRY
2-year NIMHANS study finds a direct relation between aggression and academic performance among Gen Y
The graph of youth involved in violence has been constantly moving upward. To study aggression levels amongst Gen Y in India, a NIMHANS expert team conducted a two-year survey in five Indian cities. The verdict is shocking: Eight out of 10 youth in the 15-26 years age group are angry.
Bangalore, the country's youngest metro, is at fourth position with 79.45% of its youth found to be aggressive. The youth in Gangtok are the 'coolest' as they are at the bottom with 76.4 per cent. The Gen Y at Indore is the most angry with a whopping 91.67 per cent. Jammu follows with 83.08 per cent and Kochi is third with 79.96 per cent.
The study conducted by Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology and Dr P Marimuthu, Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics, NIMHANS was released in May this year. About 3,600 youngsters were surveyed.
"Increasing number of crimes involving adolescents and children triggered this study. We found there were many factors which lead to aggression amongst young people. It can be a trivial fight with their peers or family disputes, substance use, lack of love or physical and sexual abuse," said Dr Sharma.
The cultural difference between the North and South might be a factor behind the temperamental difference of the youth in these two regions, Dr Sharma said.
A higher percentage of women engaged in verbal aggression (95.3 per cent vs. 92.8 per cent), while males went for severe physical aggression (4.6 per cent vs. 2 per cent). The female partner, the butt of most of these aggressive actions, ended up with consequences like slight cuts/bruises, broken nose, black eye, broken bones and requiring medical treatment/hospitalisation. Women reportedly attacked their partners while under the influence of emotional states of intense anger (22.4 per cent vs. 13.9 per cent), while men did so in response to aggression received (13.0 per cent vs. 6.6 per cent). Physical aggression decreased significantly across the age groups, but health consequences became more severe with age. For example, broken noses, black eyes and broken bones went from 1 per cent at 16 years to 4.5 per cent at 20.
Risk factors strongly related to later violence was distributed among hyperactivity (parent rating), low academic performance, peer delinquency, and availability of drugs in the neighbourhood. The ratings predicted violence from ages 10, 14, and 16 years.
WHAT SOCIAL INJUSTICE AND WRONG THINGS ARE YOUNG INDIANS ANGRY ABOUT?
In a report last year, the UN dropped its usual diplomat-ese to warn: “In every sphere – education, work and play – there is a mix of disenchantment, resentment and hope. With growth has not come equity. The cost of urbanisation is beginning to tell in a way that if left unattended could plunge society into fragments.”
Numbers alone make that globally significant: there are 433 million people aged between 15 and 34 living in Indian towns and cities. Imagine an army bigger than the combined populations of the US, the UK and Canada.
To see how quickly they might be mobilised, follow what happened with Mitra, Pal and their friends at Jadavpur university. At the end of August, a female undergraduate and her male companion were reportedly accosted on campus by a group of male students. She was allegedly dragged into a hostel and sexually molested, while her friend’s face was pulped. University authorities began investigating, but made no real progress. Instead, according to a charge the woman has lodged with police, senior academics came to her home to ask how she had been dressed.
By mid-September, frustrated students were protesting every evening outside the vice-chancellor’s office. It was peaceful. Violinist Mitra would do jazz renditions of We Shall Overcome. Then, one night, the students decided to block the journey home of their vice-chancellor, Abhijit Chakrabarti, by lying on the ground. The lights went out – and they were set upon by police. I couldn’t reach Jadavpur authorities for comment, but Chakrabarti has publicly said that he called police because he feared for his life – an odd anxiety to have about some teenagers and twentysomethings lying on the ground. Likewise, the police claim they used “minimum lawful force”. But video footage suggests that canes were used to beat students. Dozens were beaten and arrested, several ended up in hospital, women claim to have been groped.
These protests are linked by one thing. None of them are especially radical: young Indians are merely pointing out the failures of authority – to investigate an assault, to provide equal library access for women, to allow a student union. This is an old tale in India, of officials not living up to their promises. Even the use of physical repression in Kolkata is familiar. The only twist is that such an assault would be carried out at an elite university.
But what makes Jadavpur especially interesting is that familiar grievances were met with a new form of resistance: the movement is one of the first in India to use the internet to spread information and bring together activists.
Even as the police turned up that September night, Mitra was texting his friend who was putting status updates on a Facebook page. The rallies became known by a hashtag: #hokkolorob (in Bengali: make noise), after a song of the same name. After the beatings, an artist recorded a cover which is still doing the rounds on YouTube. As Mitra’s English professor, Abhijit Gupta, said: “The Indian authorities can and do police physical space; but they cannot hope to monitor virtual space.”
In a report last year, the UN dropped its usual diplomat-ese to warn: “In every sphere – education, work and play – there is a mix of disenchantment, resentment and hope. With growth has not come equity. The cost of urbanisation is beginning to tell in a way that if left unattended could plunge society into fragments.”
Numbers alone make that globally significant: there are 433 million people aged between 15 and 34 living in Indian towns and cities. Imagine an army bigger than the combined populations of the US, the UK and Canada.
To see how quickly they might be mobilised, follow what happened with Mitra, Pal and their friends at Jadavpur university. At the end of August, a female undergraduate and her male companion were reportedly accosted on campus by a group of male students. She was allegedly dragged into a hostel and sexually molested, while her friend’s face was pulped. University authorities began investigating, but made no real progress. Instead, according to a charge the woman has lodged with police, senior academics came to her home to ask how she had been dressed.
By mid-September, frustrated students were protesting every evening outside the vice-chancellor’s office. It was peaceful. Violinist Mitra would do jazz renditions of We Shall Overcome. Then, one night, the students decided to block the journey home of their vice-chancellor, Abhijit Chakrabarti, by lying on the ground. The lights went out – and they were set upon by police. I couldn’t reach Jadavpur authorities for comment, but Chakrabarti has publicly said that he called police because he feared for his life – an odd anxiety to have about some teenagers and twentysomethings lying on the ground. Likewise, the police claim they used “minimum lawful force”. But video footage suggests that canes were used to beat students. Dozens were beaten and arrested, several ended up in hospital, women claim to have been groped.
These protests are linked by one thing. None of them are especially radical: young Indians are merely pointing out the failures of authority – to investigate an assault, to provide equal library access for women, to allow a student union. This is an old tale in India, of officials not living up to their promises. Even the use of physical repression in Kolkata is familiar. The only twist is that such an assault would be carried out at an elite university.
But what makes Jadavpur especially interesting is that familiar grievances were met with a new form of resistance: the movement is one of the first in India to use the internet to spread information and bring together activists.
Even as the police turned up that September night, Mitra was texting his friend who was putting status updates on a Facebook page. The rallies became known by a hashtag: #hokkolorob (in Bengali: make noise), after a song of the same name. After the beatings, an artist recorded a cover which is still doing the rounds on YouTube. As Mitra’s English professor, Abhijit Gupta, said: “The Indian authorities can and do police physical space; but they cannot hope to monitor virtual space.”
Laws to help women: 8 laws every Indian girl must know
IndiaToday.in | New Delhi |September 9, 2015 |UPDATED 16:47 IST
According to 2011 census, the sex ratio of India is 943. This means that population-wise, for every 1,000 men in the country there are 943 women. Hence, it's only logical that the judicial system will make laws that would support the women in every possible way against injustice. The India
According to 2011 census, the sex ratio of India is 943. This means that population-wise, for every 1,000 men in the country there are 943 women. Hence, it's only logical that the judicial system will make laws that would support the women in every possible way against injustice.
The Indian judicial system, being the world's largest, has many laws to serve this purpose. Unfortunately, due to lack of public awareness, the laws fail to take action.
Here are 8 frequent injustices that take place, especially against women, and the laws against them:
IndiaToday.in | New Delhi |September 9, 2015 |UPDATED 16:47 IST
According to 2011 census, the sex ratio of India is 943. This means that population-wise, for every 1,000 men in the country there are 943 women. Hence, it's only logical that the judicial system will make laws that would support the women in every possible way against injustice. The India
According to 2011 census, the sex ratio of India is 943. This means that population-wise, for every 1,000 men in the country there are 943 women. Hence, it's only logical that the judicial system will make laws that would support the women in every possible way against injustice.
The Indian judicial system, being the world's largest, has many laws to serve this purpose. Unfortunately, due to lack of public awareness, the laws fail to take action.
Here are 8 frequent injustices that take place, especially against women, and the laws against them:
- Eve Teasing: Sections 294 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) prohibit any individual or group of people pass any kind of offensive comment or execute any such gesture towards a girl of any age
- Child Marriage: This is not just for girls. However, the incidents reported indicate towards the underage girls. The Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929, prohibits a girl who is not 18 (age defined by the Hindu Marriage Act) to get married
- Improper Police Procedure: Under the high court directive, every police station must have a lady officer, not of a post below that of Head Constable, available round-the-clock and the police shall also help the victim of sexual assault of any degree with counseling assistance and further aid towards the betterment of the victim. Besides, a woman can only be searched by a lady officer and can be arrested only in the presence of a lady officer. A woman cannot be arrested before sunrise or after sunset, however, exceptions can be made under the directive of the magistrate
- Minimum Wage: According to the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Government of India has set minimum wages for every section of profession that must be paid to any skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers. The minimum wage for a skilled worker in Delhi is Rs 423, be it a man or a woman
- Succession of Property: Under the clause of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, any person who is entitled to be the heir of a property of ancestor, should get the property regardless of gender
- Dowry: Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, says that if any one gives or receives or even helps the exchange, he or she will face a jail term five years or more and a fine of Rs 15,000 or the sum of dowry, whichever is more
- Domestic Violence: This falls under Section 498A of the IPC. According to this law, any person can complain about any incident where a family member has offended him or her cruelly or with the intention of cruelty. This law is applicable for or against any member regardless of gender
- Offensive Propaganda: The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, prohibits any individual or organization to publish or help post, publish, exhibit or advertise - online or offline - any kind of representation of women that can be considered to be indecent.
India’s urban youth are angry. Unlike their parents, they have little to lose
Aditya Chakrabortty
A generation schooled in social media and with little deference for authority is ready to fight injustice
Tue 25 Nov 2014 06.30 GMT
Last modified on Thu 30 Nov 2017 04.37 GMT
I met a pair of 20-year-old insurrectionaries last week. They were gently spoken and as slight as kittens, yet only recently the vice-chancellor at their elite university claimed they and their friends had threatened his life.
The story of how Dibyokamal Mitra, Nabottama Pal and a bunch of undergraduates drove one of the grandest institutions in Kolkata into meltdown needs to be heard far outside India. It’s an extraordinary blend of traditional protest rituals and social media, alleged police beatings and a march that brought an entire city to a standstill. But it also highlights one of our most important, yet under-remarked, geopolitical truths: in its megacities and towns, across campuses and workplaces, urban India is breeding a generation of angry young men and women.
By mid-September, frustrated students were protesting every evening outside the vice-chancellor’s office. It was peaceful. Violinist Mitra would do jazz renditions of We Shall Overcome. Then, one night, the students decided to block the journey home of their vice-chancellor, Abhijit Chakrabarti, by lying on the ground. The lights went out – and they were set upon by police. I couldn’t reach Jadavpur authorities for comment, but Chakrabarti has publicly said that he called police because he feared for his life – an odd anxiety to have about some teenagers and twentysomethings lying on the ground. Likewise, the police claim they used “minimum lawful force”. But video footage suggests that canes were used to beat students. Dozens were beaten and arrested, several ended up in hospital, women claim to have been groped.
As evidence of the beatings was uploaded to Facebook, then broadcast on TV, outrage spread. Three days later, central Kolkata was shut down for a rally by students from Jadavpur, other colleges and the public. Estimates of turnout vary from 30,000 to 100,000. Marches and protests were held in other cities across India. Jadavpur campus is still wallpapered with posters of its titular boss, Chakrabarti, that read “Resignation, no negotiation”.
Jadavpur is not an isolated example of youth protest. In past weeks, female students at Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh have led successful protests to gain access to the main library (officials worried they would distract the boys); while at Benares Hindu University, also in Uttar Pradesh, parts of the campus have even been torched following protests over student representation.
These protests are linked by one thing. None of them are especially radical: young Indians are merely pointing out the failures of authority – to investigate an assault, to provide equal library access for women, to allow a student union. This is an old tale in India, of officials not living up to their promises. Even the use of physical repression in Kolkata is familiar. The only twist is that such an assault would be carried out at an elite university.
But what makes Jadavpur especially interesting is that familiar grievances were met with a new form of resistance: the movement is one of the first in India to use the internet to spread information and bring together activists.
-THE GUARDIAN
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/25/india-urban-youth-angry-protests-cities
Why is the Indian Youth Agitated?
-THE MINT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KPs5cGv54s
A few causes of agitation and youth unrest in India:
(1)Economic causes, which included a sense of insecurity for the future and gap between economic needs of the country and the educational system, that is, education being viewed as non-job-oriented;
(2) Socio-psychological causes, which included defective educational system, gap between aspiration and achievement (getting 80% marks and yet failing to get admission in college of one’s interest), social distance between teacher and students, non-committed teachers, policy of status quo, corruption and inefficiency, and large number of students in the class or inadequate number of sections in the department/college; and
(3) Political causes, which included, political interference, and instigation by political leaders. All these factors indicate that the main cause of student unrest and agitations in particular and youth agitations in general lies in social system rather than the personality of the youth.
Modern Indian Youth: Reasons and Result of Unrest and Core Agitation
Kapil Dev Sharma
https://ndpublisher.in/admin/issues/IJASEV2N1c.pdf
-HINDUSTAN TIMES
In Rural Rajasthan, A Woman Is Setting Other Women Free, One Sanitary Napkin At A Time
https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2015/04/simren-singh-youth-for-india-fellow/
Watch How 1 Girl Enabled 352 Women In Rural Karnataka To Stand On Their Own Feet
https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2015/12/video-lead-project-pallavi/
Women Empowerment Initiatives:
Women's empowerment in Kerala: From loans to education about laws, state initiative seeks to change lives
https://in.news.yahoo.com/women-apos-empowerment-kerala-loans-111141719.html
Maneka inaugurates online portal ‘NARI’ for women empowerment
Read more at http://www.uniindia.com/maneka-inaugurates-online-portal-nari-for-women-empowerment/india/news/1093867.html#3Lxf3mveSm0BFovh.99
Aditya Chakrabortty
A generation schooled in social media and with little deference for authority is ready to fight injustice
Tue 25 Nov 2014 06.30 GMT
Last modified on Thu 30 Nov 2017 04.37 GMT
I met a pair of 20-year-old insurrectionaries last week. They were gently spoken and as slight as kittens, yet only recently the vice-chancellor at their elite university claimed they and their friends had threatened his life.
The story of how Dibyokamal Mitra, Nabottama Pal and a bunch of undergraduates drove one of the grandest institutions in Kolkata into meltdown needs to be heard far outside India. It’s an extraordinary blend of traditional protest rituals and social media, alleged police beatings and a march that brought an entire city to a standstill. But it also highlights one of our most important, yet under-remarked, geopolitical truths: in its megacities and towns, across campuses and workplaces, urban India is breeding a generation of angry young men and women.
By mid-September, frustrated students were protesting every evening outside the vice-chancellor’s office. It was peaceful. Violinist Mitra would do jazz renditions of We Shall Overcome. Then, one night, the students decided to block the journey home of their vice-chancellor, Abhijit Chakrabarti, by lying on the ground. The lights went out – and they were set upon by police. I couldn’t reach Jadavpur authorities for comment, but Chakrabarti has publicly said that he called police because he feared for his life – an odd anxiety to have about some teenagers and twentysomethings lying on the ground. Likewise, the police claim they used “minimum lawful force”. But video footage suggests that canes were used to beat students. Dozens were beaten and arrested, several ended up in hospital, women claim to have been groped.
As evidence of the beatings was uploaded to Facebook, then broadcast on TV, outrage spread. Three days later, central Kolkata was shut down for a rally by students from Jadavpur, other colleges and the public. Estimates of turnout vary from 30,000 to 100,000. Marches and protests were held in other cities across India. Jadavpur campus is still wallpapered with posters of its titular boss, Chakrabarti, that read “Resignation, no negotiation”.
Jadavpur is not an isolated example of youth protest. In past weeks, female students at Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh have led successful protests to gain access to the main library (officials worried they would distract the boys); while at Benares Hindu University, also in Uttar Pradesh, parts of the campus have even been torched following protests over student representation.
These protests are linked by one thing. None of them are especially radical: young Indians are merely pointing out the failures of authority – to investigate an assault, to provide equal library access for women, to allow a student union. This is an old tale in India, of officials not living up to their promises. Even the use of physical repression in Kolkata is familiar. The only twist is that such an assault would be carried out at an elite university.
But what makes Jadavpur especially interesting is that familiar grievances were met with a new form of resistance: the movement is one of the first in India to use the internet to spread information and bring together activists.
-THE GUARDIAN
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/25/india-urban-youth-angry-protests-cities
Why is the Indian Youth Agitated?
-THE MINT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KPs5cGv54s
A few causes of agitation and youth unrest in India:
(1)Economic causes, which included a sense of insecurity for the future and gap between economic needs of the country and the educational system, that is, education being viewed as non-job-oriented;
(2) Socio-psychological causes, which included defective educational system, gap between aspiration and achievement (getting 80% marks and yet failing to get admission in college of one’s interest), social distance between teacher and students, non-committed teachers, policy of status quo, corruption and inefficiency, and large number of students in the class or inadequate number of sections in the department/college; and
(3) Political causes, which included, political interference, and instigation by political leaders. All these factors indicate that the main cause of student unrest and agitations in particular and youth agitations in general lies in social system rather than the personality of the youth.
Modern Indian Youth: Reasons and Result of Unrest and Core Agitation
Kapil Dev Sharma
https://ndpublisher.in/admin/issues/IJASEV2N1c.pdf
-HINDUSTAN TIMES
In Rural Rajasthan, A Woman Is Setting Other Women Free, One Sanitary Napkin At A Time
https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2015/04/simren-singh-youth-for-india-fellow/
Watch How 1 Girl Enabled 352 Women In Rural Karnataka To Stand On Their Own Feet
https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2015/12/video-lead-project-pallavi/
Women Empowerment Initiatives:
Women's empowerment in Kerala: From loans to education about laws, state initiative seeks to change lives
https://in.news.yahoo.com/women-apos-empowerment-kerala-loans-111141719.html
Maneka inaugurates online portal ‘NARI’ for women empowerment
Read more at http://www.uniindia.com/maneka-inaugurates-online-portal-nari-for-women-empowerment/india/news/1093867.html#3Lxf3mveSm0BFovh.99
Child rights
Child Rights: A Gist
They are abandoned. They do not get a chance to step in a school. They are left to fend for themselves on the streets. They suffer from many forms of violence. They do not have access to even primary healthcare. They are subjected to cruel and inhumane treatments every day. They are children – innocent, young and beautiful – who are deprived of their rights.
In the history of human rights, the rights of children are the most ratified. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) defines Child Rights as the minimum entitlements and freedoms that should be afforded to every citizen below the age of 18 regardless of race, national origin, colour, gender, language, religion, opinions, origin, wealth, birth status, disability, or other characteristics.
These rights encompass freedom of children and their civil rights, family environment, necessary healthcare and welfare, education, leisure and cultural activities and special protection measures. The UNCRC outlines the fundamental human rights that should be afforded to children in four broad classifications that suitably cover all civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights of every child:
Right to Survival:
• Right to be born
• Right to minimum standards of food, shelter and clothing
• Right to live with dignity
• Right to health care, to safe drinking water, nutritious food, a clean and safe environment, and information to help them stay healthy
Right to Protection:
• Right to be protected from all sorts of violence
• Right to be protected from neglect
• Right to be protected from physical and sexual abuse
• Right to be protected from dangerous drugs
Right to Participation:
• Right to freedom of opinion
• Right to freedom of expression
• Right to freedom of association
• Right to information
• Right to participate in any decision making that involves him/her directly or indirectly
Right to Development:
• Right to education
• Right to learn
• Right to relax and play
• Right to all forms of development – emotional, mental and physical
Article 1
Everyone under 18 years of age has all the rights in this Convention.
Article 2
The Convention applies to everyone whatever their race, religion, abilities, whatever they think or say, whatever type of family they come from.
Article 3
All organisations concerned with children should work towards what is best for each child.
Article 4
Governments should make these rights available to children.
Article 5
Governments should respect the rights and responsibilities of families to direct and guide their children so that, as they grow, they learn to use their rights properly.
Article 6
All children have the right to life. Governments should ensure that children survive and develop healthily.
Article 7
All children have the right to a legally registered name, and nationality. They have the right to know and, as far as possible, to be cared for, by their parents.
Article 8
Governments should respect children's right to a name, a nationality and family ties.
Impact of the Convention of the Child Rights
A milestone in the international human rights legislation, the ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child’ has been instrumental in putting all the issues pertaining to children issues on the global as well as national agenda. In addition to this, it has extensively mobilized actions for the realization of the rights and development of children worldwide.
It was not an overnight initiative that resulted in the adoption of the Child Rights. It took several years of movements and activism on shaping favourable, positive and constructive attitudes toward children, and also inciting actions to improve their well-being. The enormous efforts involved toward the implementation of the Convention, the significant amount of resources committed to this cause, and the overall effectiveness of the systems put in place for the execution process have a bearing on the success of child well-being outcomes.
Over the last 20 or so years, implementation of the Convention and its effect on child well-being varied from country to country and from one region of the world to the other. Based on analysis, there has been outstanding progress at a global level in addressing the issues related to children. These include progress in access to services, reaching their fullest potential through education, enactment of laws that upholds the principle of the best interests of child, and child survival.
Though a noteworthy progress has been achieved, yet in developing countries, particularly India, there is still a long way to go in realising the rights of children. Though all the relevant rules and policies are in place, there is a lack in enforcement initiatives. As barriers, there are several factors that forbid effective implementation of the laws. Due to relatively low success in achieving concrete child development outcomes in India, the condition of underprivileged kids and underprivileged youth is harsh and needs urgent attention. There is a need to intensify efforts for children welfare at all levels to implement the rules and provisions of the Convention and contribute to create a world suitable for children.
Child Rights and the world
People from across the world striving for social justice have often directed their efforts toward the most vulnerable in society—the children. From Princess Diana's charitable work on behalf of children to the efforts of activists like Grace Abbott and the youngest Nobel laureate in history—Ms. Malala Yousafzai, these famous children's right activists have put commendable efforts in helping improve the lives of the youngest citizens.
2014 Nobel Peace Prize awardees—Ms. Malala Yousafzai and Mr. Kailash Satyarthi have reminded us all of the need to keep on advancing in providing opportunities that has an important effect on all children. The opportunities are meant to be meaningful enough to allow them to learn and gain the mindsets and skills that would empower them to be free, develop themselves, their communities and the world.
Mr. Kailash Satyarthi’s struggle to liberate children from child labour had cost him many life threats, including bullet wounds by those who exploit young boys and girls for economic gain. Wearing flak jackets, and armed with strong determination, he and his team raided many illegal factories and mines to rescue the children who are sold into servitude. It has been 30 years now since he started his movement. A movement that has one clear purpose—no child shall be a slave.
“I speak not for myself but for those without voice... those who have fought for their rights... their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated.” – Ms. Malala Yousafzai.
Mr. Santanu Mishra
Co-Founder & Executive Trustee | Smile Foundation
“Whose children we are talking about? Are they not our children? If yes, can we leave them to fend for themselves- defenseless, without care, devoid of any right and privileges? Are not WE, the society (men and women) responsible for introducing them to world? Then, why such apathy? Is it not a crime?
Does it not stir our conscience and provoke us to safeguard our children's well being- according appropriate status?
Child rights and its accordance is the pillar for nation building, a brighter tomorrow.”
The Right to Education
The father of modern education—John Amos Comenius proposed – “all persons should be educated, so we could have peace in the world”. Visionaries of the world understood that peace meant guaranteeing every person certain rights that are conditional for humanity—education being one of the most important.
The addition of the Right to Education (RTE) in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 was the beginning of a remarkable expansion of educational opportunities around the world. The parliament of India enacted the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education Act (RTE) on August 2009. The same got enforced on April 1st 2010.
As per the act, education is a fundamental right of every child who is between 6 and 14 years old. The act also states that until the completion of elementary education, no child shall be held back, expelled or required to pass a board examination. There is also a provision for special training of school drop-outs to bring them up to par with students of the same age.
Underprivileged kids lag at all stages of education. When earning a livelihood and taking care of the members of the family becomes a primary matter of concern in one’s life, education stands a little or, very often, no chance of pursuance. For the millions of underprivileged people in India, education is a high-priced luxury, and this negative outlook continues on with every new generation. Poverty damages childhood with significant effects on a child’s physical and mental health, as well as educational achievement. It limits the expectations of the child’s ability to perform well in school, constantly reminding him/her of the miniscule chance he/she has to overcome adversity and poverty.
With its development interventions that are focused on social welfare of children, Smile Foundation has raised those expectations among the hardest-to-reach children. Recent mark-sheets of the students in all ME centres has shown Smile Foundation primary school students outperforming their peers, with a very high passing rate. Last year, 51% of the total beneficiaries in Mission Education centres across India were girls. Also, 87% of the total eligible students are successfully mainstreamed in private and government schools.
They are abandoned. They do not get a chance to step in a school. They are left to fend for themselves on the streets. They suffer from many forms of violence. They do not have access to even primary healthcare. They are subjected to cruel and inhumane treatments every day. They are children – innocent, young and beautiful – who are deprived of their rights.
In the history of human rights, the rights of children are the most ratified. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) defines Child Rights as the minimum entitlements and freedoms that should be afforded to every citizen below the age of 18 regardless of race, national origin, colour, gender, language, religion, opinions, origin, wealth, birth status, disability, or other characteristics.
These rights encompass freedom of children and their civil rights, family environment, necessary healthcare and welfare, education, leisure and cultural activities and special protection measures. The UNCRC outlines the fundamental human rights that should be afforded to children in four broad classifications that suitably cover all civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights of every child:
Right to Survival:
• Right to be born
• Right to minimum standards of food, shelter and clothing
• Right to live with dignity
• Right to health care, to safe drinking water, nutritious food, a clean and safe environment, and information to help them stay healthy
Right to Protection:
• Right to be protected from all sorts of violence
• Right to be protected from neglect
• Right to be protected from physical and sexual abuse
• Right to be protected from dangerous drugs
Right to Participation:
• Right to freedom of opinion
• Right to freedom of expression
• Right to freedom of association
• Right to information
• Right to participate in any decision making that involves him/her directly or indirectly
Right to Development:
• Right to education
• Right to learn
• Right to relax and play
• Right to all forms of development – emotional, mental and physical
Article 1
Everyone under 18 years of age has all the rights in this Convention.
Article 2
The Convention applies to everyone whatever their race, religion, abilities, whatever they think or say, whatever type of family they come from.
Article 3
All organisations concerned with children should work towards what is best for each child.
Article 4
Governments should make these rights available to children.
Article 5
Governments should respect the rights and responsibilities of families to direct and guide their children so that, as they grow, they learn to use their rights properly.
Article 6
All children have the right to life. Governments should ensure that children survive and develop healthily.
Article 7
All children have the right to a legally registered name, and nationality. They have the right to know and, as far as possible, to be cared for, by their parents.
Article 8
Governments should respect children's right to a name, a nationality and family ties.
Impact of the Convention of the Child Rights
A milestone in the international human rights legislation, the ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child’ has been instrumental in putting all the issues pertaining to children issues on the global as well as national agenda. In addition to this, it has extensively mobilized actions for the realization of the rights and development of children worldwide.
It was not an overnight initiative that resulted in the adoption of the Child Rights. It took several years of movements and activism on shaping favourable, positive and constructive attitudes toward children, and also inciting actions to improve their well-being. The enormous efforts involved toward the implementation of the Convention, the significant amount of resources committed to this cause, and the overall effectiveness of the systems put in place for the execution process have a bearing on the success of child well-being outcomes.
Over the last 20 or so years, implementation of the Convention and its effect on child well-being varied from country to country and from one region of the world to the other. Based on analysis, there has been outstanding progress at a global level in addressing the issues related to children. These include progress in access to services, reaching their fullest potential through education, enactment of laws that upholds the principle of the best interests of child, and child survival.
Though a noteworthy progress has been achieved, yet in developing countries, particularly India, there is still a long way to go in realising the rights of children. Though all the relevant rules and policies are in place, there is a lack in enforcement initiatives. As barriers, there are several factors that forbid effective implementation of the laws. Due to relatively low success in achieving concrete child development outcomes in India, the condition of underprivileged kids and underprivileged youth is harsh and needs urgent attention. There is a need to intensify efforts for children welfare at all levels to implement the rules and provisions of the Convention and contribute to create a world suitable for children.
Child Rights and the world
People from across the world striving for social justice have often directed their efforts toward the most vulnerable in society—the children. From Princess Diana's charitable work on behalf of children to the efforts of activists like Grace Abbott and the youngest Nobel laureate in history—Ms. Malala Yousafzai, these famous children's right activists have put commendable efforts in helping improve the lives of the youngest citizens.
2014 Nobel Peace Prize awardees—Ms. Malala Yousafzai and Mr. Kailash Satyarthi have reminded us all of the need to keep on advancing in providing opportunities that has an important effect on all children. The opportunities are meant to be meaningful enough to allow them to learn and gain the mindsets and skills that would empower them to be free, develop themselves, their communities and the world.
Mr. Kailash Satyarthi’s struggle to liberate children from child labour had cost him many life threats, including bullet wounds by those who exploit young boys and girls for economic gain. Wearing flak jackets, and armed with strong determination, he and his team raided many illegal factories and mines to rescue the children who are sold into servitude. It has been 30 years now since he started his movement. A movement that has one clear purpose—no child shall be a slave.
“I speak not for myself but for those without voice... those who have fought for their rights... their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated.” – Ms. Malala Yousafzai.
Mr. Santanu Mishra
Co-Founder & Executive Trustee | Smile Foundation
“Whose children we are talking about? Are they not our children? If yes, can we leave them to fend for themselves- defenseless, without care, devoid of any right and privileges? Are not WE, the society (men and women) responsible for introducing them to world? Then, why such apathy? Is it not a crime?
Does it not stir our conscience and provoke us to safeguard our children's well being- according appropriate status?
Child rights and its accordance is the pillar for nation building, a brighter tomorrow.”
The Right to Education
The father of modern education—John Amos Comenius proposed – “all persons should be educated, so we could have peace in the world”. Visionaries of the world understood that peace meant guaranteeing every person certain rights that are conditional for humanity—education being one of the most important.
The addition of the Right to Education (RTE) in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 was the beginning of a remarkable expansion of educational opportunities around the world. The parliament of India enacted the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education Act (RTE) on August 2009. The same got enforced on April 1st 2010.
As per the act, education is a fundamental right of every child who is between 6 and 14 years old. The act also states that until the completion of elementary education, no child shall be held back, expelled or required to pass a board examination. There is also a provision for special training of school drop-outs to bring them up to par with students of the same age.
Underprivileged kids lag at all stages of education. When earning a livelihood and taking care of the members of the family becomes a primary matter of concern in one’s life, education stands a little or, very often, no chance of pursuance. For the millions of underprivileged people in India, education is a high-priced luxury, and this negative outlook continues on with every new generation. Poverty damages childhood with significant effects on a child’s physical and mental health, as well as educational achievement. It limits the expectations of the child’s ability to perform well in school, constantly reminding him/her of the miniscule chance he/she has to overcome adversity and poverty.
With its development interventions that are focused on social welfare of children, Smile Foundation has raised those expectations among the hardest-to-reach children. Recent mark-sheets of the students in all ME centres has shown Smile Foundation primary school students outperforming their peers, with a very high passing rate. Last year, 51% of the total beneficiaries in Mission Education centres across India were girls. Also, 87% of the total eligible students are successfully mainstreamed in private and government schools.