Friday, November 14, 2008

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Child rights panel to mandate FIRs for lost children

Aug 12th, 2008 By News Team Category: Articles
Dr. Avnish Jolly, 12 th August, 2008:
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in India is preparing guidelines to make it compulsory for police to file First Information Reports (FIRs) of missing children, with India reporting 44,000 such cases annually. The national child rights body is doing so after complaints from parents and child rights activists that often police refuse to take action in the case of missing children.
Sandhya Bajaj, NCPCR Member said that we are preparing guidelines to make sure that an FIR is registered within 24 hours if a parent approaches the police with the complaint of a missing child and in the case of missing children, a formal complaint has to be registered by the police. But parents have to run from pillar to post for it.
Once the guidelines are prepared, the NCPCR will send it to the Women and Child Development Ministry, proposing an amendment in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act in this regard. "Efforts are being made to fix accountability with police who otherwise show a callous attitude towards complaints of missing children," Bajaj added.
According to official data, in India more than 44,000 children of all ages go missing annually and Delhi tops the list with 6.7 per cent of the total cases. The data was collated by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) after the Nithari serial killings in which the remains of 20 young girls and women—who were raped and murdered—were found in a drain in Noida.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Delhi is second on missing kids list by PTI / Mid-Day

The national capital has earned the dubious distinction of having the second highest number of missing children in the country.
Delhi comes after Kolkata, as far as the maximum number of missing children in the country are concerned.
An alarming point is that a majority of children are girls 12 to 19 and they come from the marginalized communities (80 per cent) living in slum areas.
The grim fact is corroborated by a 2005 National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) report which states that every year 7,058 children are reported missing in Delhi, which accounts for 6.7 per cent of the country's missing children.
Children rescued in such cases talk of the organized kidnapping behind these missing incidents.
Well organized gangs having nationwide connections and sometimes, global, "sold" girls to prospective buyers.

Source: http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/jul/310708kids.htm

Friday, August 1, 2008

Missing Children covered by Times of India, Delhi




Looking for their missing children By Geeta Pandey BBC News, Delhi

Parents of all missing children say they have no faith in police. On a sultry afternoon, a group of about 50 people, most of them women, have gathered outside Jantar Mantar - the 18th-century observatory in the Indian capital, Delhi. Many of them are carrying placards with photos and names of their children who have gone missing in the last few years. Among them is Kamini.
"My son Satyendra went missing seven years ago. He was 10 then. It was 6am, he was playing outside. And then he disappeared. I have no idea who could have taken him. I have no enemies," says a distraught Kamini. The last seven years have been a nightmare for her. "I lodged a complaint with the police. They asked me to have 300 posters made with his photo. They said they will put them up at all police stations in the city. I did, but the posters never went up. I have no idea where my son is," Kamini starts to cry.

Since her son went missing, she has made dozens of trips to the police station but had to return empty-handed each time. Now she says she has lost faith in the police. "If police wanted, they could have found him, but they've not helped me for seven years, why would they bother now?"
Kamini's plight is not unique. Kamini's son went missing seven years ago When Rani's 15-year-old daughter Nagina went missing on 12 June, it took her a week and all her persuasive powers to get the police to register a case. Rewa Lal's son Manish, 8, has been missing since 21 March and Shyam Bahadur's son Sunil, 12, has been untraceable since 15 June. Sangita's daughter Sunita, 5, disappeared on 16 June and five-year-old Farhan's father Abdul Jabbar has not seen his child since October 2005.
Rani, Rewa Lal, Shyam Bahadur, Sangita and Abdul Jabbar all say they have received no help whatsoever from the police in finding their children. As a last resort, these parents have now appealed to the Indian president and the National Human Rights Commission to help them.

"I don't think anyone can imagine 1,000 children going missing in London. But it happens in Delhi and the administration doesn't even take notice. That's a very sad state of affairs," says Vikram Srivastava of the non-governmental organisation (NGO), Child Rights and You (Cry).
"There are two possibilities why children missing for even five or seven years are not found - one, the police are unable to find them; two, they're not interested in finding them. And I believe it's the second reason," says Bharat Singh, convenor of Alliance for People's Rights, an umbrella of Delhi-based NGOs working with marginalised communities. Mr Singh says police do not care for the poor. According to statistics, of the 45,000 children that go missing in India every year, 11,000 are never found. And, according to a survey by the Alliance for People's Rights, 80% of the missing children belong to poor, marginalised communities living in slums and resettlement colonies. Activists say girls are taken away for the sex trade, boys are used for child labour, or made to beg by cartels. They are also sexually abused by paedophiles.
"The administration and police have class biases. The poor don't have a voice, so police don't register their cases. They are very selective in registering cases. And when they do register a case, there is no proper investigation," says Mr Srivastava.

Mr Singh says, "The police and administration react fast when a child from an affluent family goes missing. We want the poor to get the same treatment. They have the same rights. We want all the missing children found, we want the police to be more receptive to the poor."
The Indian police's apathy towards the children of poor is well known. In December 2006, the nation was shocked when skulls and remains of 17 people, mostly children, were found in a drain in the Delhi suburb of Noida. It took Rani a week to persuade the police to register a case
Furious parents and relatives complained that for two years police had refused to register cases about their missing children.
Says Mr Srivastava, "We are demanding immediate registration of cases. There should be a proper investigation and follow-up in each case. And we need to revamp the police administration." "Children are our future, if our future is lost, what is left?" asks Mr Singh.
"It's a very serious issue. The police have to create conditions that no child is lost and those who do go missing, should be found immediately."

Meanwhile, the parents assembled at Jantar Mantar say they live in hope that one day they may be able to see their children again. "I'm hoping someone will see my story on TV or read it in the papers and give me some information about Satyendra," says Kamini.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7533108.stm

Media Response

The issue of Missing Children has been treated in most insensitive manner by the Police and State Administration. Alliance for People's Rights (APR) supported the cause of such parents Parents in brining the issue before the larger community. India might be challenging other economies of the world but if it cannot take care of its children, then the whole debate on economic growth seems redundant. There were huge media support for the cause. For vedio coverage kindly visit http://dailymotion.alice.it/video/x6ar97_parents-protest-on-missing-children_news

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

APR seeks solidarity for missing childrens

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Alliance for People's Rights (APR).

APR is a network of democratic, secular and progressive forces in Delhi fighting for the causes of underprivileged and other exploited sections of society.

As we all know that a large number of children go missing every year in our capital and adjoining areas. The horrible incident of Nithari is still haunting our memories in which many innocent girls were raped and murdered. But that incident too has failed to sensitize the administration and police to act fast and ensure that such incidents should not be repeated in future.

APR has conducted a survey on the problem of Missing Children in Delhi which shows that the number of missing children in Delhi is really high. There are also reports published in newspapers from time to time that a large number of these children are being kidnapped for prostitution, child labour and organ trade. APR has been approached by parents of missing children to voice their concern. It is shameful that even such cases of missing children are not getting adequate support from the police and state administration. There are many such parents struggling even to get their cases registered.

To highlight this problem and seeking government's action, parents of missing children will submit a memorandum to President of India, Chief Justice of India and the Chairman of National Human Rights Commission. Deeply concerned on such gross violation of child rights, APR seeks support of all concerned.

We need your solidarity and support for this cause.

Venue: - Jantar Mantar, New Delhi
Date: - 30.07.08
Timing: 2 to 4 pm

For any further query, please contact Mrs Reena Banerjee - 09810226459

Warm Regards
Dr. Bharat Singh
Convener

Mrs Reena Banerjee
Theme Leader of Missing Children

Alliance for People's Right (APR) C/o: BAL VIKAS DHARA, A-72. Masood Pur, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi- 72

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Delhi unites against injustice: Call against displacement, inequality in education

The Delhi leg of Jan Haq Yatra, a nationwide people’s rally, on the need to ensure basic rights without discrimination, was spearheaded by Alliance for Peoples’ Rights. The Yatra mobilize marginalized communities across different areas to unite and raise their voice on several issues plaguing India’s capital, in order to end social, economic and political exploitation

The main thrust of the Yatra was against the current model of development that favours the haves and exploits the marginalized. Believing that it cannot be a mute spectator NAFRE (National Alliance for the Fundamental Right to Education and Equity) has initiated the Jan Haq Yatra to coalesce demands from across the country and present an alternate development model that truly reflects the voice of the people. The Yatra is spearheaded by local grassroots NGOs who align with this community mode and democratic nature of the process. The Yatra has till now traveled across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Manipur, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

The primary demands of the communities to the State during the Delhi Jan Haq Yatra was:
· Ensure equity in education: 2 lakh children are out of school, numerous children drop out, government schools fail to provide quality education. Implementing the common school system (CSS). to addresses children’s fundamental right to quality education, which has already been ratified by the government’s National Policy on Education in 1986 but not yet implemented. It is believed that CSS is a powerful tool which reflects inclusiveness and equity, both of which are vital to the establishment of a People’s India.
· Ensure basic housing Facilities: 25% of Delhi’s population lacks basic housing or is completely homeless. They must be ensured basic housing facilities
· Ensure rights for the unorganized sector : These include rag pickers, daily wage earners - comprising migratory communities – who must be given their just share of resources
· Ensure acceptable rehabilitation and resettlement norms: The gearing up for 2010 Commonwealth Games has resulted in high rate of demolition, displacing slum dwellers to areas without even the very basic facilities for living with even minimum dignity

People's Demands raised through Alliance for People's Rights

The objective of Jan Haq Yatra was to oppose the anti-poor and pro-rich policies of the government and organize these people and strengthen their social action groups at grass root level, and consolidate all progressive and democratic forces so that the government can be forced to do justice to the demands of poor and the deprived.