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Saturday 23 June 2007

Finally

The Government of India seems to finally be taking some action as regards the survey recently published by them about Child Sexual Abuse in India. There are plans to set up a special court in Maharashtra to speedily handle cases involving crimes committed against children (as opposed to juvenile courts which handle crimes committed by children)
A court of this kind has already been set up recently in Goa, which is hardly a surprize given the reputation it has as a nexus for paedophiles world-wide...

Maharashtra to get nation’s 1st child rights body


Surendra Gangan
Monday, June 04, 2007 08:12 IST

Commission likely to be operational in a few weeks

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has put the final touches on a plan to create a Child Rights Commission — the first of its kind in the country — amid a disquieting increase in incidents of child abuse in the state. The proposal is expected to be approved by the state cabinet in the coming days, and the Commission is likely to begin functioning in a few weeks.

A study conducted by the Centre and United Nations Children’s Fund early this year had established the growing rate of child abuse in the state.

The study revealed that the 53 per cent of the country’s children are sexually assaulted, and Maharashtra’s figures were consistent with the national percentage of 50.57. The figures were viewed with serious concern by the state government.

“All formalities have been completed,” said Harshvardhan Patil, minister for women and child development.

Maharashtra was also the first state to establish a Women’s Commission in the early 1990s. An official from the Women and Child Welfare Department said the current proposal met an urgent requirement. “The amendment to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, and the introduction of Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, were both related to children,” the official said.

The formation of a Child Rights Commission was the need of the hour," the official said.

State officials contend that they have registered commendable success in controlling child labour in hazardous industries such as those associated with zari and leather. "We rescued nearly 2,400 children, after which employers voluntarily released some 23,000 children from hazardous industries," the official said. "That represents the release of up to 75 per cent children working in hazardous industries."

Vijay Satbir Singh, secretary, Women and Child Development Department, said the new commission will focus on critical children-related issues. “It will deal with health problems, child labour, child beggars, orphans, and domestic violence faced by children." Singh said the commission will help the government start day-care centres and effect better co-ordination with agencies working for child welfare.

Farida Lambe, a trustee of Pratham, an organisation that works to promote primary education, welcomed the creation of the commission but said that its administration should be in the right hands. That feeling was echoed by other activists. Lambe said malnutrition, sexual abuse, and right to education should be the priority areas of the commission.

Tuesday 19 June 2007

It Isn't Child's Play

Here's an article which was published in DNA on Sunday,17th June,2007. The ariticle is titled "It isn't child's play". It's a blazing report on how Mahabalipuram orphanages are hotbeds of paedophilia. They arrange special rooms within the orphanage for foreigners willing to make donations. Go to the following link to read more. You have to register before you can access the article on page 8 of the issue. Please take the trouble, it's worth it.

Sunday 3 June 2007

Family shuns man

'He should be shot dead'

The family of Sanjay Patil, who is charged with sodomising minor girls, including his own children, is in a state of shock.... The suspect's wife, Saroj Patil, 42, says her husband "should be shot at sight"...... "I did not ever have an inkling of my husband's activities... We will commit suicide...."

Her two children, aged 9 and 5, are in a playful mood, oblivious of the gravity of the accusations hurled against their father.

...."He was pleading for one chance. But if a man can do such a thing to his own children, he has no right to live. He deserves the harshest punishment," his wife says

This article appeared in the 2nd June issue of DNA. While the wife's reaction is well-called for, one can't help but wonder if she would have reacted nearly as strongly if her husband had not abused their own children, and had merely preyed on other children...