Monthly Archives: August 2014

A child playing in a salt field and jumping

Where do the children play?

The road is busy. For Mohan and his friends, it serves as a playground. They assemble here almost every evening to play cricket; the street providing a leveled substitute for a pitch. Roads as playground are hardly an anomaly in India given that the sight is abundantly familiar in most urban localities.

Right to play has been considered in UNCRC (Article 31) as one of the important right for the children. Despite the importance of play on a child’s health, cognitive development, self-esteem and life skills – it remains mostly a ‘forgotten’ right of the child; it is rarely taken seriously by the governments as a result children are unable to fully realize their right to play.

Playing in the open in urban settings continues to remain an elusive experience for many children, courtesy the shrinking spaces and lack of adequate equipment, resources available to them, driving youngsters to the road or other risk prone areas. Be it amongst debris on the fringes of cities and towns, abandoned neighbourhoods, gullies, streets, temples and even railway stations, children satisfy their appetite for play whether or not we provide them that space.

Urban development is progressively changing the landscape of urban childhoods in India. Lack of playgrounds and access to other safe area is indicative of the lack of inclusiveness of children in every sphere of society. And in a country where there are millions of children, the irony of too few places is hardly lost on anyone.

If simply the sight of playing children is so powerful in bringing a smile to our faces, perhaps its time we returned the favour. Let us recognise, respect and promote play as the right of every child.

A child plays in a dry river-bed after the floods have receded in North India (Photo- Sanjay Kanojia/ AFP)
A child plays in a dry river-bed after the floods have receded in North India (Photo- Sanjay Kanojia/ AFP)
Children play cricket in the back of a truck in Mumbai (Photo- Unknown)
Children play cricket in the back of a truck in Mumbai (Photo- Unknown)
Boys make electric poles as wickets while playing cricket on railway tracks (Photo- Newsinphoto)
Boys make electric poles as wickets while playing cricket on railway tracks (Photo- Newsinphoto)
A child catapults across the salt pans of Kutch (Photo- Reuters)
A child catapults across the salt pans of Kutch (Photo- Reuters)
Children climb an exposed bamboo scaffolding at the Marina Beach, Chennai (Photo-Arun Sankar/AP)
Children climb an exposed bamboo scaffolding at the Marina Beach, Chennai (Photo-Arun Sankar/AP)
A child runs through the narrow gullies of Jodhpur, Rajasthan (Photo- Steve McCurry)
A child runs through the narrow gullies of Jodhpur, Rajasthan (Photo- Steve McCurry)
Children take to the flooded streets of Kolkata during play-time (Photo- KPA/Zuma /Rex features)
Children take to the flooded streets of Kolkata during play-time (Photo- KPA/Zuma /Rex features)
Rocking himself on a cloth jhoola (Photo- Rajagopalan Sarangapani)
Rocking himself on a cloth jhoola (Photo- Rajagopalan Sarangapani)
Children playing on an open terrace (Photo- Rachell Carbonell)
Children playing on an open terrace (Photo- Rachell Carbonell)
Cross and knots on a street corner (Photo- Steve McCurry)
Cross and knots on a street corner (Photo- Steve McCurry)
A young boy plays with an abandoned rickshaw (Photo- Rajagopalan Sarangapani) A young boy plays with an abandoned rickshaw (Photo- Rajagopalan Sarangapani)
A young boy plays with an abandoned rickshaw (Photo- Rajagopalan Sarangapani)
Children play their games amongst water pipes, oblivious to the dangers (Photo- Babu/Reuters)
Children play their games amongst water pipes, oblivious to the dangers (Photo- Babu/Reuters)
Slum children ride a discarded ferris wheel in a dump yard (Photo- Unknown)
Slum children ride a discarded ferris wheel in a dump yard (Photo- Unknown)
Trundling a rubber tyre on an empty stretch of road (Photo- Rajagopalan Sarangapani)
Trundling a rubber tyre on an empty stretch of road (Photo- Rajagopalan Sarangapani)

I have been molested as a child and I did not speak about it

With each story of adult survivors of child sexual abuse you learn about the loss of childhood, the loss of your innocence, the loss of trust; you learn how deep and long the scars of childhood trauma can be.The need therefore for creating preventive mechanisms through alert, caring and responsive families schools communities cannot be reiterated enough.

Here’s the story of on such childhood nightmare that is achingly fresh.

Bounded by the mighty Brahmaputra: Children of Morigaon

Photo - Ritu Raj Konwar, Bounded by the mighty Brahmaputra: Children of Morigaon | Leher NGO in India | Child Rights Organization
Photo – Ritu Raj Konwar

Welcome to Morigaon. For most who live in big cities, this is a far off place located in the heart of Assam, North East India. A small district with the Brahmaputra flowing through its northern part, Morigaon is also known to be a symbol of ferocity of floods in Assam. Every year, large areas in the district are inundated and considerable tracts of land are swallowed up by erosion.

Photo - Team Leher
Photo – Leher

Meet the Leher team. A young, passionate and energetic group who worked in collaboration with the State Child Protection Society of Assam and UNICEF (Assam) and conducted a Child Protection District Need Assessment Study (DNA) for Morigaon between February – May 2014. Thereafter, a District Child Protection Plan was prepared.

Photo - Unknown, Bounded by the mighty Brahmaputra: Children of Morigaon | Leher NGO in India | Child Rights Organization
Photo – Unknown

The districts of Mayong and Laharighat were selected for the DNA. Laharighat is a backward riverine block, very prone to floods, and has a high Muslim minority population. Mayong is more urban and borders the neighbouring districts of Naugaon and Guwahati with a mixed population that includes tribals, Hindus and Muslims.

Photo - Leher, Bounded by the mighty Brahmaputra: Children of Morigaon | Leher NGO in India | Child Rights Organization
Photo – Leher

The study was conducted across 2 blocks in 18 villages with the use of participatory research methods to engage with children, adults and duty bearers at the village and block level.

Photo - Ritu Raj Konwar
Photo – Ritu Raj Konwar

Children in 61% villages reported the prevalence of abuse. They said that eve teasing, touching, using slang words are normal. In one village they said that there were almost 20 cases of sexual abuse in the last one year alone. They mentioned that pregnancies get terminated in secret. Yet, it was found that 84% of adults did not report child abuse.

Photo - Ritu Raj Konwar
Photo – Anupam Nath/AP

We learnt that the chronic problem of destruction caused by floods has pushed children to share family burden from an early age. The prevalence of child labour was reported across 94% villages. Across 78% of villages it was observed that while girls are made responsible for household chores – sweeping, washing clothes, cooking, taking care of siblings, boys on the other hand are sent outside the district or state to earn money.

Photo - Ritu Raj Konwar
Photo – Unknown

It was found that early marriage is a common practice across all villages, hence, communities do not complain. Fearing for the safety of their girls, or the lack of opportunity of finding a suitable match in later years, parents get their daughters married by the age of 13 or 14. Inadvertently, the first fall out of this is the end of education for most of them.

Children standing in a mass queue
Photo – Parijat Academy

Additionally, it was found that there were more primary schools available with a greater number of children enrolled in them vis a vis middle or senior schools. The study seems to indicate a co-relation between children dropping out of school to join the labour force, or girls at risk of early marriage, and the lack of available higher education facilities.

Photo - Ritu Raj Konwar
Photo – Ritu Raj Konwar

Majority of children in the district of Morigaon begin to consume gutka, beedi, or alcohol before their teen years. Since children become contributing members to the family income early on, parents tend not to reprimand their children. Also there is a cultural acceptance of these habits as most adults also consume tobacco and beetle nut.

Photo - Ritu Raj Konwar
Photo – Teakdoor

The examination of social protection facilities available in the the district found that many were inaccessible in Laharighat because of damage caused by floods. The community said that even the 108 ambulance service is unable to reach homes as the roads are destroyed, forcing women to give birth at home. Children are unable to use bicycles distributed under the Chief Minister’s Bicycle Scheme as the roads are laden with sand.

Photo - Ritu Raj Konwar
Photo – Reuters

In schools the mid day meals are provided regularly. While rice is supplied in adequate quantities, funds for other ingredients like vegetables and cooking oil are not sufficient. Community members in 61% of villages said that the employment guaranteed to them under MNREGA was less than 10 days for the year as against the assured 100 days.

Photo - Ritu Raj Konwar
Photo – Leher

The study findings were discussed at a district level meeting convened by the Deputy Commissioner of Morigaon, Assam . A child protection plan was placed before the district. A journey has begun in Morigaon. It needs the active involvement of children, communities, civil society organizations and the administration. We believe when caring families, alert communities and responsive governments come together, children will be protected.

Bus stops to bare floors: Where children sleep

Every day, an ever-increasing number of children leave home, driven by poverty, abuse and urban-rural migration to join multitudes of children living on and off the streets. Feisty and innovative they learn to survive in the squalid nooks and crannies of urban India; very often forced to sleep in the open, on footpaths, outside temples, under bridges, at bus stops and railway platforms; few ever experience the warmth, comfort and safety of a bed. They are India’s un-restful future!
Inspired by James Mollison’s ‘Where children sleep’ Leher curated images capturing where India’s homeless children sleep. From the innards of industrial pipes to mounds of soft dirt, from bus stops to bare floors they learn the art of converting unlikely spaces into their temporary retreat.

A hammock bed near a work site (Photo: Adnan Abidi/Reuters)
A hammock bed near a work site (Photo: Adnan Abidi/Reuters)
The threshold of a shuttered shop (Photo: Bikas Das/AP)
The threshold of a shuttered shop (Photo: Bikas Das/AP)
A street corner in Northern India (Photo: Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera)
A street corner in Northern India (Photo: Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera)
A pipe used for industrial effuse (Photo: Unknown)
A pipe used for industrial effuse (Photo: Unknown)
Railway children’ at the railway station (Photo: Dario Mitidieri)
Railway children at the railway station (Photo: Dario Mitidieri)
An abandoned bus that doubles as a shelter (Photo: Unknown)
An abandoned bus that doubles as a shelter (Photo: Unknown)
A mound of soil at a construction site (Photo- Mustafa Quraishi/AP)
A mound of soil at a construction site (Photo- Mustafa Quraishi/AP)
A mosquito net on a street corner (Photo: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)
A mosquito net on a street corner (Photo: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)
A temporary shelter home in New Delhi (Photo: Money Sharma/EPA)
A temporary shelter home in New Delhi (Photo: Money Sharma/EPA)
A wedding hall doubling as a shelter during a natural calamity (Photo- Ahmad Masood/Reuters)
A wedding hall doubling as a shelter during a natural calamity (Photo- Ahmad Masood/Reuters)

Turning trash into toys for learning

In this inspiring TED video meet Arvind Gupta-toymaker, engineer, scientist, educator, inventor, mentor. He popularizes science among children by showing them quirky ways to convert trash into useful toys.

The one we like the best is the simple slate he makes, using wool and velcro, for blind people…with 12 million blind children in our country that’s an innovation we can use!

India: Sabotaged Schools

Tens of thousands of children are caught up in the conflict between Maoist insurgents and government security forces in India. Education is the only ticket to a better future, but a massive casualty in these areas. Schools are seen as symbols of the state, hence, attacked by Maoists. Additionally, government security forces use schools as bases for anti insurgent operations, or as police stations where they live for months or even years. Children study alongside these forces, pushing them to study outside classrooms and sabotaging their education, specially discouraging the girl child from coming back to school. HRW’s Emma Daly reports from India’s Bihar state.

India: Child sexual abuse of children

The rape and murder of Nirbhaya was followed by tremendous public outcry and a great deal of soul searching about the problem of sexual violence in India. While great awareness has been raised about sexual violence against women, much less is known about the problem of sexual abuse of children. A 2007 study by the Ministry of Women and Child Development based on interviews with 12,500 children in 13 different states, reported serious and widespread sexual abuse; Children are sexually abused at home, by people in their neighborhoods, at school, and in residential facilities meant to provide shelter and protection. Most of such cases are not reported. Many are victimized again and again by a justice system that often refuses to hear or believe them or take serious note of it.

A 2007 study by the Ministry of Women and Child Development based on interviews with 12,500 children in 13 different states, reported serious and widespread sexual abuse; Children are sexually abused at home, by people in their neighborhoods, at school, and in residential facilities meant to provide shelter and protection. Most of such cases are not reported. Many are victimized again and again by a justice system that often refuses to hear or believe them or take serious note of it.

A number of authorities including political leaders, administrators, police, and judges, have publicly condemned the sexual abuse of children. A new law the Protection Of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) has been enacted in India for over a year now. Yet, social stigma, lack of awareness and negligence continues to facilitate perpetuation of such crimes.Watch HRW’s film that brings these loopholes into perspective…

Watch HRW’s film that brings these loopholes into perspective…

It’s a girl

It’s likely we have been witness to the horrifying pronouncement …”It’s -a -girl” announcing the birth of a #girlchild. This war against girls has been creatively converted into a film and an action campaign to shed light and build a movement around this pressing human rights abuse.

Shot on location in India and China, It’s a Girl tells the stories of abandoned and trafficked girls, of women who suffer extreme dowry-related violence, of brave mothers fighting to save their daughters’ lives, and of other mothers who would kill for a son. As observed ‘more girls have been killed in Gendercide routine in one decade than people slaughtered in all the genocides of the 20th century.’