Relooking the overlooked plights of children in Ukhrul

Imphal Free
By Keisam Pradipkumar
Being dismayed by the acute shortage of institutional services and medical treatment facilities, Children Living with HIV/AIDS, rape victims, orphans, children of broken family and psychologically traumatized children in Ukhrul district are still living in a pitiable condition, despite the state has launched the mega child welfare scheme such as “Integrated Child Protection Scheme” (ICPS), subsequent upon the enactment of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)2000 Act amended in 2006. Besides, children in this district still pay fees for sports meet, while parents bear honorarium for privately engaged teachers by sacrificing their wages of MGNREGA. Adding to the large scale subletting of government/ ADC appointed teachers, the issue of MGNREA supported teachers in hill districts has become another sarcastic paradigm to the much talked about “ The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009” in Manipur. The question is where has the state government utilized those numerous teachers recently appointed under SSA and RAMSA projects?

In recent times, a minor girl from Ukhrul was raped on 24th June, while another girl was murdered after having rape on 10th September respectively this year. Since there was no shelter home in Ukhrul, the rape victim of 24th June incident, baby Angamla (name changed) 11 years old, belonging to an abject poverty stricken family, is presently taking shelter in one of her relatives place. She was first kept in a girls’ shelter home in Imphal. Her case was taken up by Manipur State Commission for Women, though the poor victim hasn’t got any compensation till date. The girl deserves institutional care considering her mental status and deprived socio-economic.

Such victim like baby Angamla from Ukhrul, are usually referred to a girls shelter home in Imphal by the Child Welfare Committee, Ukhrul. Minor girls from Tangkhul community felt quite unsuitable in Imphal as they were yet to conversant with Manipuri language. The diverse social and cultural background posed as the huge barriers making interpersonal counseling and formal education to the victim children a hard hitting job to the service providers.

Another, Tangkhul girl baby Khangamla 13 years from Ukhrul, ran two times from an Imphal based girls shelter home “ Punya Nawa Yaiphakol”. For the last 3 years , she ran away more than 5 times from different places. Her drunkard father and poor mother failed to look after her, and even they are reluctant to take her back. The disobliging ambiance in her family became rather detrimental to her psychological well being, which made her now virtually a psychologically distressed child needing immediate medical treatment and institutional care.

It is worth to mention that, dubious human trafficking net in India is targeting the north east women for sex trade, spa massage service and of late for forced marriage as common wife. Ukhrul, having the highest rate of migration of young girls to other states in search of lucrative jobs, there are several trafficked survivors in the district. However, restoration and rehabilitative process for the trafficked survivors is almost nil. The district does not have either a women shelter home or girls children home, whereas ever getting bigger number of victims are intolerantly searching the compassionate helping hand of such temporary institutional care from pillar to post.

Child Welfare Committee, Ukhrul’s Chairperson Gajendra Prasad Mohanty said, “We are totally helpless here, as such facilities are not in Ukhrul at all, many children, such as baby Khangamla remained untreated. Opening of girls shelter home, providing counseling and rehabilitative support for such marginalized girls and children are the desperate needs of Ukhrul district ”.

The status of the Juveniles in conflict with law (JCL) is quite disheartening , as such children who are allegedly committed offences, are not getting appropriate treatment supposed to be given under the vindicated juvenile criminal justice system.

People hardly know who are the appointed social worker members and Principal Magistrate of the board and where is its office, though the concerned department has already set up the statutory body years back. As a result, many delinquent children’s cases ended up only in the hands of un child-friendly police and mob trials, before reaching to the juvenile justice procedures. The dignified role of Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU) is yet to be seen. Overriding the legal procedures, recently a rape victim child from Ukhrul was kept in a private hotel in Imphal by Ukhrul police in lieu of admitting her to the hospital, thereby delaying the medical treatment and foreignsic test process.

The plight of Children Living with HIV/AIDS in the district is really pathetic, when it came to learn that they are taking unmeasured random ART doses, since the CD4 machine in Ukhrul remained non-operational since January this year, even though the district is one of the highest HIV prevalent districts in Manipur ranking at “A” category. There are around 85 boys 94 girls ( Pre ART) while 32 girls and 32 boys are On ART, out of cumulative Pre ART 1099 and On ART 682 of the district. The Ukhrul town is having around 20,000 children population out of 50,000 total population.

Mr. C. Leisan, member, Ukhrul District NGO Alliance for Health (UTNAH) said “Most regrettably Ukhrul district hasn’t got its own Community Care Centre till now, though NACO had reportedly sanctioned it in 2007 ”. He said “ No program from Legislative Forum on HIV/AIDS is ever held in Ukhrul. There is no blood bank, though in 2000 MACS reported that it was already sanctioned. Since CD4 machine lying defunct lots of people are referred either to RIMS or JNIMS expending lot of money and resources”.

Mrs Chonjon and Mamlaphi (name changed) both PLHAs shared that stigma and discrimination is still highly persistent in the community. PLHA widows remained almost aloof and could not even form SHGs. They were yearning for certain economic support to feed their ailing children and themselves.

The recent public hearing of NCPCR held at Kangla, Imphal in August, 2011, loudly exposed the proxy teacher or sub letting of teachers in hill districts of Manipur with special reference to Chandel and Ukhrul. More cases of proxy teachers are found in ADC run schools. Lacking of Hindi, Manipuri, Math, Science teachers and poor infrastructures including absence of separate toilets for girls being the common scenario visible at all the schools in hill districts. Till now, many AIDS inflicted orphans are not getting free education under RTE in recognized private schools.

Head master of Shirui Jr High School admitted that Glory day’s expenses is being born by students reading in elementary classes. A student has to contribute Rs.150 every year for such observation comprising of sports and cultural events. School authority, meticulously did not issue receipts for such money paid by the students. They termed it as “ contribution” not “fee”, thereby trying to run off from the purview of RTE strictures. According to the RTE Act free education means no financial constraints can “prevent” a child from enrolling, attending and completing elementary education. Hence, if glory day is a part of extra curricular activities it should be organized with state’s expenses, and students and their parents must not be liable to pay for it.

The ZEO, Ukhrul Mr Adverest Luikham, who is looking after 137 schools in the district said “All the fees charged have been refunded as per NCPCR directive, and Glory day is like a community supported event which we cannot stop. Since there is no provision to bear the expense we are helpless but organizing it with contributions of the parents”.

Contrary to RTE’s high sounding provisions, Ms Shila J Konghay, president Tangkhul Shanaolong a popular civil body said “Recently I visited certain villages such as Chalong Chingthak, Chalong Phalang of Kamjong sub-division, some 90 Km away from Ukhrul town, where not a single school has been established till today. You could find neither children nor school in these villages, as all the children left their native villages either for Ukhrul town or Imphal for study”.

I am still pondering, how long the true accessibility to RTE Act and welfare schemes for children will remain as a far cry from the towering blue hills of Ukhrul.

Children Living With HIV/AIDS Most Affected By Conflict In Manipur

Source-Sangai Express
Frequent blockades and violence often grind the State to halt, leaving children and families living with HIV and AIDS with little access to vital healthcare, nutrition and Anti Retroviral Therapy.

Growing up in a conflict zone, children in the north-eastern State of Manipur are often deprived of their childhood; yet it is the children living with HIV who face the toughest struggles. In addition to coping with a life-threatening disease and the social stigmas attached to it, many children are deprived of the life-saving Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) due to curfews imposed, and the sporadic supply of medication to the hospitals and healthcare centres during conflicts.

Atindranath Das, Regional Director, CRY says, “The situation of children living with HIV is particularly disconcerting, since they are infected, and affected by circumstances and actions beyond their own doing. They are, in every sense, innocent victims of the epidemic.”

30th November, 2011: 13-year old Devender Singh lives with his 60-year-old grandmother, Mahima Devi, in Imphal West Devender lost his parents to AIDS many years ago, and has been cared for by his grandmother ever since. Mahima has managed to eke out a living for them by selling vegetables in the market, but the recent economic blockade in the State has made survival almost impossible. As prices of petrol skyrocketed and mobility was restricted, Mahima had no customers to buy her wares. The soaring prices of food meant that she could not afford to buy nutritious food like bananas and eggs which are so crucial for Devender, who is frequently ill and currently on Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART).

The absence of a social security system from both, the community and the state force many children living in families affected by HIV/AIDS to be caregiver and engage in economic activity to run the household. Janardhan studies in the 7th standard and lives with his mother Ritika, who is HIV positive and currently on ART. A single mother, Ritika is often ill and weak, unable to carry out farming chores on a small piece of land which is the only source of income for the family. As a result, Janardhan frequently misses school to help out his mother by working on the farm and doing the household chores.

The National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) in its Strategy and Implementation Plan 2006 states that the present responses on care given to children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS provide mere short-term benefits and do not cater to their best interests in terms of their right to health, protection, education and nutrition.

In order to effectively address the needs of children, both, infected and affected by HIV, CRY recommends three basic actions:

· Since ART is proven to suppress the HIV virus and stop the progression of the HIV disease, the government should make ART freely available and accessible, specially in paediatric doses, preferably at the community level through functioning Primary Healthcare Centres.

· Create and enable special corridors for supply of life-saving drugs including ART so that frequent blockades do not take a toll on children living with HIV.

· To combat and end the life-threatening degree of stigmatization of HIV affected children, widespread community awareness programmes are needed, as well as peer-to-peer education, support groups and facilitated workshops.

· CRY calls for the National bodies such as the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the respective Ministries to step in, to resolve the situation while keeping children’s needs at the top.

· The long-term conflict has resulted in unprecedented denial of the rights to health, survival and development for all children in Manipur, including the HIV positive children. The government should push for a permanent end to armed conflict that is one of the significant reasons behind poor access to healthcare. The extra judicial powers vested with the army needs to be thoroughly re-examined to ensure that children do not suffer from violence and trauma.

“Any HIV-specific programme must acknowledge and work with the extreme stressors that are a daily reality for children infected and affected with HIV/AIDS,” says Atindranath Das. “State authorities must invest in public facilities, infrastructure and rights-related services such as primary healthcare, provision of Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) for children and schooling. This approach needs to be prioritised above all other approaches to problem-solving in Manipur,” he adds.

* Names of children and their families changed to protect identities.

CRY - Child Rights and You (formerly known as Child Relief and You) is an Indian NGO that believes in every child’s right to a childhood - to live, learn, grow and play. For over 30 years, CRY and its partners have worked with parents and communities to ensure Lasting Change in the lives of more than 20 Lakh underprivileged children. For more information please visit us at www.cry.org

For further information, please contact: Child Rights and You (CRY) abhik.bhattacharya@crymail.org

Stigma and discrimination still continue to loom large upon PLHA

Source- Imphal Free Press
IMPHAL, December 1: Stigma and discrimination towards HIV/AIDS affected persons still continue. Even at the outset of the observation of the World Aids Day held at 1stBattalion Manipur Rifles Ground under the theme “Zero discrimination, Zero infection and Zero AIDS related deaths”, a widow living with HIV/AIDS was mocked at by a personnel of the Manipur Rifles at the said venue.

Kongbrailatpam ongbi Prameshwori Devi, an outreach worker told IFP that she came with handloom items for display and sales at the “Lingjel Nupi Lup” stall with some of her co-workers today morning. She entered from the western main entrance of the 1stMR and as she neared the chouka (Kitchen), some sepoys were standing there. As she passed by, one among the MR personnel called out and asked her to stop, she was approached by the MR personnel and had jeeringly exclaimed, “AIDS pakpa mayamda yen doira nakhoina ngashi pusillakeiba potsingsae” in a derogatory tone. Prameshwori put down the items she brought to the ground and told the personnel “Ngashi asuk fajakhraba numiitsida, nakhoina aduk chaoukhattaba wahei sijinnarishi karigino” with tears flowing down her cheeks. Herself, living with HIV for the last decade, she could no longer take the insults and slapped the personnel at the spot.

Outraged, she came to the stall and told her co-workers about the episode. Her friends had also talked to some concerned authorities about the incident. Later, she was approached at the stall by the same personnel along with some senior officers. The said personnel tendered an apology which she declined.

She told IFP, “Today, the episode may be over, but such persons particularly those assigned to protect and serve the public harasses us. They perceive widows like us in the wrong light and pass derogatory remarks. They are the ones who need to be sensitized about HIV/AIDS at the foremost”, she said.

Ironically, the Chief Minister in his presidential speech at the observance function had also emphasized on the need for effective HIV/AIDS awareness among the public.

Prameshwori is a resident of Heirok and had an arranged marriage to K Brajamani of Tera on February 1991. Her husband was also a rifleman of the 1st Manipur Rifles. According to her testimony, after the birth of her second daughter, her husband’s attitude began to change and she suspected drugs as the cause. She was also informed by a friend that her husband was involved in an extra marital affair. She contracted a sexually transmitted infection from her husband and both of them fell seriously ill. They went to Downtown Hospital in Assam and were recommended by the physician to test for HIV. Unfortunately, both of them tested positive. Prameshwori was shocked when she came to know her status but consoled herself to her fate.

As time passed, her husband wanted a son and without having any idea about PPTCT (Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission) gave birth to their third daughter. They had thought of testing the child after birth. On the other hand, Prameshwori’s husband was suffering from TB seriously, even in spite of taking DOT (Directly Observed Therapy), his condition became critical. At RIMS, he did the CD4 test and his immune system was found to be a low 7. The doctor recommended ART (Anti Retro-Viral Treatment) tablets which was unavailable freely then. Before the announcement of the news that ART would be available freely, her husband had passed away.

Widowed at an early age with three daughters, Prameshwori mortgaged her husband’s pension book for money to buy food and medicine. Till date, she has not been able to get back the pension book due to the huge interest amount charged by the loaner.

One of the most tragic moments of her life was when her second daughter Nandini (name changed) who was mentally retarded became sick. On testing her daughter at RIMS, it was painfully found out that she was also affected by HIV. She recounted that she had suffered an injury in her chest and at the same time her daughter also had an accident and smashed her lips on an iron bucket. As her daughter was breast feeding at the time, she presumed that it must have been due to blood to blood contact.

But braving all odds with her vocational skills, she has been providing for her three daughters and later formed a MSG (Mutual Support Groups) with other affected widows and organized monthly meetings till date. Recently, she also gave her testimonial at the Public Hearing conducted by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights highlighting that PLHA (People Living with HIV/AIDS) should be given free ALT and Hb percentage test. She also performed at the Expo Mela Solo Dance Performance held at New Delhi. She presently works as an outreach worker in an NGO.

World AIDS Day widely observed in state

source- Imphal free Press
IMPHAL, December 1: The World AIDS Day, 2011 was observed today under the theme “Universal Access and Human Rights” at various parts of the state.

The state level observation was held at 1st Battalion Manipur Rifles Ground with Governor Gurbachan Jagat as the chief guest and Chief Minister Okram Ibobi as the president.

Health and Family Welfare minister L Jayentakumar and education minister DD Thaisii attended as the guests of honour.

Addressing the gathering at the observation function, Governor Gurbachan Jagat stated that the World AIDS Day is a very important event across the world, particularly in the state of Manipur where the people have experienced the impact of the HIV epidemic for the last more than 20 years. Many young people have died due to AIDS related cases/diseases. A number of children have been made orphans and many young women widows due to this epidemic.

Starting from 1988, 1st December is observed as World AIDS Day. The slogan for this year is "Universal Access and Human Rights" on the theme "Getting to Zero". The theme signifies zero new HIV infection, zero discrimination and zero AIDS related death. Zero new infections, zero discrimination are equally important and likely to spark high impact events from small scale community vigils to nation-wide events using the universally recognized shape of zeros and the power of light to get the attention they deserve. Zero AIDS death signifies a push towards greater access to treatment for all; a call for governments to act now, he asserted.

Governor further maintained that Manipur is identified as one of the six high HIV prevalence states in India, identified by the National AIDS Control Organization, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Statistics reveals that the magnitude of the problem here is very alarming in the sense that innocent pregnant housewives have been infected by HIV. It is learnt that 0.5 per cent of them are estimated to be living with HIV. Infection among mothers indicates possible infection among the new born children and also among the husbands. If new born children are infected, the future of Manipur will not be bright.

He suggested that small children should get utmost care and protection in this regard. It is the responsibility of the society at large, particularly women, to have a greater involvement in the fight against HIV and AIDS to safeguard the future of Manipur.

Governor further announced the official launching of Early Infant Diagnosis Programme in Manipur He stated that the programme will help in reducing 76 percent morbidity among infants on early ante-retro viral treatment and 75 percent reduction in the infant mortality on early ART. Earlier, an infant born to a HIV infected mother had to wait to attain 18 months for accurate diagnosis. Now with the availability of EID programme in Manipur, a baby who is born to a HIV infected mother can undergo HIV testing from six months onwards till 18 months of age, free of cost at selected Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres opened at RIMS, JNIMS, District Hospitals and Community Health Centres.

Gurbachan also maintained that two ART Centres will be opened at Senapati and Bishnupur and two link ART centres at Kumbi and Sagolmang. This will greatly help in reducing the distance travelled by people living with HIV/AIDS for availing Anti-retroviral drugs from nearest ART and LAC centres. Oral Substitution Therapy programme being launched today at Senapati under the Government Health Set-up involves substitution of the drug user's primary drug use with a medically safer drug use and the primary route of injecting drug use with non-injecting route. This programme will be a window of opportunity for our youths to come out from their drug habits and lead a healthy and productive life.

The HIV and AIDS issue which is no longer a mere health issue has covered all aspects of life, social, economic, legal, human rights and even political. The sincere efforts of the officials and concerned activists of the State will not be sufficient in tackling this issue. The civil society has to be actively involved, he noted.

Governor Gurbachan Jagat further appealed to all to play proactive roles in countering the menace of HIV/AIDS in the state.

Emphasizing on the need to take up effective measures on the border areas, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi stated that necessary steps will be taken up at Moreh town to check and prevent HIV/AIDS transmission.

He stated that the people should be precautious while dealing with such issues as the state lies at the international border area.

Chief Minister further appealed to the people to render utmost help and cooperation to the government as well as NGOs to deal with the problem of HIV/AIDS in the state.