Govt must intervene in students harassment cases in JNVs :CCRP

Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, December 28 2010: The Coalition on Children's Right to Protection (CCRP), Manipur on Tuesday requested Manipur Chief Minister for his immediate intervention in delivering justice to recent incidents occurred in two Jawahar Novodaya Vidyalaya (JNVs) in the state.

On November 29, 2010, Chingakham Brington Singh (17), a student of class-XII at Thoubal district JNV, Umathel committed suicide after he was alleged of having been caught in a compromising position with Kshetrimayum Ghanapriyari Devi, a girl student of the same class.

A week later, another case of police brutality involving Khumbong JNV students of XI and XII surfaced on December 5.The students were allegedly caned by the police in the school campus.

The incidents tantamount to child right violations, the CCRP alleged in a memorandum submitted to the Manipur Chief Minister seeking government intervention into the incidents.

Based on the report of a fact finding team, the CCRP alleged that Brington committed suicide unable to bear with the humiliation and mental harassment meted out by the authority of the school.

The girl student, Ghanapriyari is also in a mental trauma humiliated by the school authorities, the report added.

The finding suggested that there were no intimate relationships between the two students but that a teacher, Chongtham Babita had misinterpreted the situation.

Brington who could not bear the humiliation meted out to him in presence of his classmates and the staff of the school, committed suicide on the same day at a hillock in his village, the fact finding report stated.

With regard to police brutality at JNV Khumbong, the fact finding report observed that the school authority unable to resolve a dispute among the senior students led to the students rampaging the school's infrastructure in the night on December 5 .

The CCRP observed that the way the school authorities handled the cases were irresponsible.

Since the school authorities failed to verify the facts of the incidents with eyewitness explanations from the two students of JNV Umathel, they are responsible above all for the suicide of the humiliated student.

In the case of JNV Khumbong, instead of conducting a proper enquiry into the incident, the police physically and mentally harassed the students of JNV Khumbong.

The CCRP says these are vivid examples of child rights violations in the two schools.

The dignity and self respect of the students were seriously demeaned by the attitudes of the school authorities and the state police, they observed, and stressed on the need of an immediate intervention of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, New Delhi.

Manipur Govt. directed to set up Child Rights Commission

15.01.2011 21:10 Imphal Brozendra Ningomba
A division bench of Gauhati High Court, Imphal Bench comprising Chief Justice Madan Bhimarao Lokur and Justice Asok Potsangbam has issued a directive to the Government of Manipur to set up a State Commission for Protection of Child Rights under the provisions of Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005 within a period of 10 months from the day the directive was issued, and in any case, on or before 31.12.2011. The High Court issued the directive on January 10 after hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Kumarjit Singh (37), a resident of Thangmeiband Hijam Dewan Leikai in Imphal West district. The High Court noted that the only prayer in the petition was for a direction to the respondents to set up a State Commission under the provisions of the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005. Since the law requires the setting up of a State Commission, the High Court directed the state government to do the needful within the stipulated period, and the writ petition was disposed of. Meanwhile, Advocate Meihoubam Rakesh has sent letters to the respondents to take up appropriate action to establish the Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights in compliance with the judgment and order passed by the Gauhati High Court, Imphal Bench. Advocate Meihoubam Rakesh represented the petitioner while Senior Government Advocate Th. Ibohal represented the respondent Commissioner, Social Welfare, Government of Manipur, Director, Social Welfare Department, Government of Manipur and Secretary, Law & Legislative Affairs, Government of Manipur.

2010 saw highest number of child trafficking cases in Manipur

Posted by kanglaonline on January 8, 2011 in News, Top Stories 0 Comment

By Hrishikesh Angom
IMPHAL, Jan 8: The highest number of child-trafficking cases in Manipur was recorded in 2010 last year with as many as 139 children from the state found trafficked to other states in the name of giving free education and jobs.
There were cases of 97 trafficked children in 2009, 22 children in 2008 and only five children in 2007.
In the month of January, 2010, 54 boys from Tousem sub-division in Tamenglong district were found trafficked to Tamil Nadu and later rescued by the volunteers of Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Tirunelveli from a children home run by one Roman Catholic Missionary, Immanuel Christopher.
The boys were admitted to the children home through one local agent, N. Paul from Tamenglong who had taken Rs 6000 to Rs 7000 from each child with the false promise of giving free education. The boys were kept in miserable conditions with no proper food and education at the children home. They were also harassed both mentally and physically by the warden of the home. The culprit Immanuel has been jailed but the local agent Paul is still absconding.
Another 17 children including eight boys and nine girls from Bishnupur were rescued from Ritz Children Home, Chennai in January. The children were reportedly trafficked to Chennai through local agents, namely Samom Herojit and Keisham Rakesh after taking Rs 10,000 from each child. The girls were sexually harassed at the chidren home.
There was also another case in January, last year in which a 17-year old girl was reportedly trafficked to Tamil Nadu by four women, namely Thangjam Purnima, Salisa, Khuraijam Taruni and Leishangthem Sanarei in the name of giving vocational education. Later, the girl was rescued and the culprits were detained under National Security Act (NSA).
In the month of February, 2010, three children including two boys and one girl were trafficked to Chenna and later a combined team of CWC, Chennai and CWC, Bishnupur rescued the children from Ritz Children Home, Chennai. The trafficked children were found in a deplorable condition with clear signs of torture and harassment. The local agent in this case was Miss D. Lotus from Chandel.
In the month of April, 2010, 27 children including 18 girls and nine boys from Imphal East, Imphal West and Bishnupur were reportedly trafficked to Tamil Nadu by one Henry Ostrin and later rescued by the officials of Social Welfare Department and Child Line Imphal.
In the same month, one girl was reportedly trafficked to Chennai as domestic helper by one Angoubi from Lamsang.
In the month of May, 2010, three boys from Sekta and Keinou were intercepted by CWC Imphal East and Bishnupur at Imphal Tulihal Airport while they were being trafficked to Guwahati by two women in the name of offering jobs.
In the month of June, 2010, 12 children including nine boys and three girls were trafficked to Tamil Nadu.
In the month of July, 2010, 12 children from Bishnupur were trafficked to Chennai by one Herojit from Ithing.
Another one girl from Bishnupur was trafficked to Kolkatta as domestic worker.
In the month of August, 2010, four boys from Tamenglong, Imphal East and Imphal West districts were trafficked to Haryana through one Kalyan Ashram, Manipur.
In the month of September, 2010, three children including two girls and one boy from Churachandpur were trafficked to New Lambulane by the step-mother of the children, Nemkholhing.
Concerning the grave situation of child-trafficking in the state, the coordinator of Coalition on Children’s Right to Protection (CCRP), A. Chinglemba stated that the state government should take up concrete measures to uplift the education system and generate more employment for the youths if the menace of human-trafficking is to be tackled. Mere vigilance of the police and other officials will not help much to counter the problem of trafficking. It is the overall development in socio-economic conditions of the people that will help to reduce the number of human-trafficking cases in the state, he noted.
Chinglemba further said that poverty stricken people are often the victims of human-trafficking and so the government should take up steps to provide them good education and help to generate employment. The failure of education system and unemployment are the major factors for human-trafficking.
The mode of human-trafficking in the state is changing from children to women. Many young girls from the state have been reportedly engaged in immoral activities outside the state including foreign countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Most of these women have been taken away from their home by some agents in the name of rendering good jobs, the coordinator of CCRP stated.
He also appealed to the people to be sensitive towards human-trafficking and make the New Year 2011 a happy and prosperous year free violence and human-trafficking.

CCRP calls upon CM to look into child rights violation cases

IMPHAL, Dec 30: The Coalition on Children’s Rights to Protection (CCRP), Manipur has drawn the attention of the Chief Minister, O Ibobi Singh for immediate intervention and to deliver justice in the recent incident of grave violation of child rights in Manipur.

In this regard an official representations was submitted to the Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh by the CCRP recently on December 28, mentioning the reports of findings made by the organisation relating to the recent incidents of child right violations particularly in two of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) located in Manipur which need interventions from the National Commission of Child Rights in Manipur.

The official representations of CCRP, Manipur also recalled that, on November 29, last month deceased Chingakham Brington Singh 17, son of Ch Ibohal Singh of Kakching Makha Leikai Naodam Pareng of Thoubal district, a student of class-XII committed suicide and Kshetrimayum Ghanapriya Devi, 17, daughter of Ksh. Memcha Devi of Kakching Khunou Leikai, Cooperative Pareng Thoubal district, of the same class is under mental trauma after having been humiliated and mentally harassed by the school authorities of JNV, Umathel near Kakching Khunou, Thoubal district. Yet in another case of police brutality involving JNV students of Class-XI &XII of JNV, Khumbong, Imphal West district in which the students were allegedly canned by police in the school campus on the night of December 5 last.

The representation further mentioned that, the above cases occurring within a week involving two JNVs located in the state is an alarming trend and Coalition on Children’s Right to Protect (CCRP), Manipur is unduly concerned and immediately carried out two fact finding missions in the two JNVs for cases of violation of child rights by the school authorities and state police.

The official representations of CCRP, Manipur has also enclosed the reports of their recent findings to the cases and it observed that the way the school authorities had handled the cases irresponsibly and non child friendly. Since the school authorities failed to cross verify the facts of the incident or the explanations from the eyewitnesses on the issues of two students of JNV Umathel they are responsible for the unfortunate suicide committed by the humiliated student. In the other case of JNV Khumbong, instead of proper enquiry into the incident, the police behaved in a brutal way of physical and mental harassment to the students of JNV Khumbong. These are the vivid examples of child rights violation in the schools. The Dignity and self respect of the students were seriously hurt by the attitudes of the school authorities and state police.

After explaining all the facts, the official representation of the CCRP made their submissions that, the above cases are clear incidents of child right violations which gravely undermine the dignity, self respect, sentiment and emotion of the children and requested CM to intervene in the JNV Umathel suicide case and police brutality to the students of JNV Khumbong. Stern action is requested to deliver justice to the bereaved families of the boy and the traumatized girl student and also the humiliated and brutalized students of JNV Khumbong, so that such incidents of child right violations are not repeated in future.

Further the official representation has also drawn the attention of Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh to take up necessary action as per the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) guidelines on prohibiting corporal punishment and also the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s guidelines, and ruling of Supreme Court (December 1, 2000) banning the corporal punishment. And it has further urged and proposed the government to give directions to all concerned authorities including educational institutions that a Child Rights Cell should be set up in every school so that the children could lodge their complaints with facilities of Child Counseling and finally requested the Chief Minister of the state to set up State Commission for Protection of Child Rights without further delay. This is in view of the increasing trend of child right violations in the state including child trafficking, child labour, child soldier, child abuse, atrocities to children living with HIV/AIDS, the official representation of CCRP, Manipur added.