CCPUR chapter of MACR formed

CCPUR, December 28: The Churachandpur chapter of  Manipur Alliance for Child Right (MACR) was formed today during a simple function held at the premise of the Observation Home run by Rev Dr Nicky Thanga situated at Khomoi Ramthar Veng Lamka.

The function was attended by 31 members, including representatives of children homes, child activists, NGOs, media (with IFP correspondent as the only state base member along with one local media) and different organisations.

It was also resolved to appoint Rev Dr Thaga, the director of CWC and juvenile observation home at Ranthar, as the convener of MACR, CCpur chapter while Esther Vaiphei from SHARE was appointed co-convener.

During the occasion, the participant agreed to open the Churachandpur chapter under MACR with the initiative of MACR representative D Pisak Singh of Bishnupur district.

A senior and core member of MACR, Pisak Singh spoke and lectured on the importance of having the CCpur chapter to fight for the right of the child at the grass-root level.

Speaking on the importance of having a MACR Churachanpur chapter the newly elected convener, Nicky said that he had on numerous occasions fought for the child and recalled an incident wherein a boy was arrested by the SF and after blindfolding him made to hold a local made pistol and charged him of being a militant.

The boy, who was handed over to the police, however, turned out to be innocent, he said.

He also recalled an incident when 16 girls were sold by a woman at Rs 5000 each to a UG group, after the girls were made to confess that they had joined the group voluntarily.

Nicky Thanga said after an FIR was filed some of the girls were rescued and are now leading normal lives.

The MACR was supported and back by CRY (child right and you’) from Kolkata. 

The participant at today occasion too, tentatively resolves to hold the second meeting during February, 2014 at the premises of Mercy Society Nehru Marg Lamka.

It was also agreed to properly restructure the MACR Ccpur chapter during the second meeting. 

Stolen Childhood

http://www.ifp.co.in/nws-18491-stolen-childhood/
After spending months in appalling conditions, yet another group of children who were entrusted by their parents to ‘Good Samaritans’ hailing from developed states of India in the hope of arranging a gateway from their impoverishment, were rescued from their captivity. Local police and units of child welfare committee of Bengaluru in Karnataka managed to free the group of 36 children from an illegally run children home. Before that we have heard similar tales about the ordeals of children recruited from the state who were eventually liberated from their bondages in illegal children homes and private houses located in Kerala, Rajasthan and Delhi among others. Besides subjection to tortures and forcible means to make them carry out rigorous tasks which are considered as unbearable even for adults, these children are victims of sexual violations, malnourishment and physical deformations. We are overjoyed on their new-found freedom and pray whole-heartedly for their prompt and complete rehabilitation. However, the celebration will be short-lived as long as we are haunted by the thoughts that many other innocent boys and girls from the state might be undergoing the exact sufferings and involuntary servitude right this moment and that their childhood had been snipped in the bud.

We need to leave out past laxities behind and execute concrete measures to stop the trafficking of children from the state. As part of pre-emptive steps, hectic programme to raise awareness and mobilization to change social attitudes in vulnerable areas specially Ukhrul and Churachandpur districts and the state in general should be launched to persuade the villagers from pursuing the damaging habit of placing blind faith on outsiders (and local middlemen) who poaches for susceptible families with the lure of providing better education and employment. Also, pro-activeness on part of the state government is needed to take up punitive actions against the perpetrators. Both, the police and concerned department are aware of the modus operandi of the child traffickers in recruitment and harboring their victims and that should provide them headway in solving the cases. With the help of intelligence inputs and physical support from their colleagues from other states, whose help have been very forthcoming so far, the state police should not leave any stone unturned to take the cases to the legal conclusion. Justice will not be truly served until the child traffickers are punished and this despicable form of modern slavery is crushed, so that every child will be free to realize their God-given potential.

Armed conflicts and its impact on women and children discussed

Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN

Imphal, December 03 2013:384 cases of child trafficking have been reported in Manipur.

Maintaining that Manipur has been witnessing an increasing alarm in the rate of child related crimes and abuses, L.Pishak Singh, secretary New Life Foundation stated around 384 child trafficking cases, 500 child labourers, 140 child undergrounds, 25 sexual assaultees and around 20 children in jail convicted with crime existed in the state.

.LPishak was disclosing the figures at a discussion programme on "on Armed Conflict and Its Impacts on Women and Children" as part of the ongoing International Fortnight Observation Protesting Violence against Women from November 25 to December 12, 2013 at Manipur Press Club, Imphal.

Armed conflicts and its impact on women and children discussed

The discussion programme was also attended by Takhellambam Renu, president EEVFAM, Irengbam Arun, senior journalist and M.Sobita, secretary WAD, Manipur jointly organized by Women Action for Development (WAD), North East Dialogue Forum (NEDF), United NGOs Mission Manipur (UNM-M), Conflict Widows Forum (COWF), Peoples' Platform Secretariat (PPS), Village Women Coordination Committee (VWCOC), Association of Landmine Survivors (ALS) and Care me Group (CAG) .

.LPishak Singh speaking on the topic "Impact of Armed Conflict and AFSPA on Children in Manipur" said that there exists 80% of child drug users under age group 14-18 in the state.

Such range of children mainly comes from AFSPA convicted victims' families who have no one to support for their basic needs and educations.

Eventually these children come down in life and take up strenuous activities with no guidance over their shoulder.

Pishak concluded by saying that the state is facing a sorry situation where children's basic rights are denied due to the fallout from the imposition of AFSPA and its hazardous consequences.

Senior journalist Irengbam Arun, who spoke on " Role of media in responding to Violence Against Women (VAW) in the context of armed conflict and AFSPA, 1958" said that since times immemorial, women have been discriminated with an inferior outlook and their status in society has been compromised time and again.

The government's motive with the imposition of AFSPA, 1958 in the state is to act an iron hand to bring a solution to all problems, he added.

But on the contrary, instead of bringing immediate remedy to the cause of the state, the women suffer at large ends under the rule of AFSPA, 1958.In such a situation, the role of the media which is a vital tool in mediating between the two comes at play which is a hard task, Arun stated.

The role of the media has cut short to balancing the tension between the government and the insurgency group, he maintained.

Families and relatives' role play a main part in many cases of child abuse like trafficking on pretext of giving jobs or other related activities.

Even after the children victims are handed over to their families, they are not fully safe from being victims again at some points of time.

As such, the government should make alternate arrangements like giving them jobs in their homeland so that their future is secured, he added.

MCPCR report

http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/tseitm-32363-mcpcr-report/

IMPHAL, Nov 12:Release of the 2012-13 annual report and pledges by top officials for relentless effort to protect rights of the children marked the first foundation day celebration of Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR) held today at the conference hall of Directorate of Social Welfare department, 2nd MR Gate.
Conceding that the Commission being in the emergent stage and lacking requisite infrastructure and fund had been some of the impediments for the Commission not able to fully realise its potential, Principal Secretary (Social Welfare) Barun Mitra, who was the event's chief guest, said to make Integrated Child Protection Scheme a viable and vibrant programme the MCPCR has forwarded annual plan proposal to the Ministry of Women and Child for necessary funding.
As guest of honour, Director (SW) L Ibobi Singh highlighted that compared to the past when there was no Government agency to take up child rights violation cases, subsequent setting up of Child Welfare Committee, Juvenile Justice Board in India and MCPCR in the State, has been providing a platform to air grievances as well as address them.
Stating that inspite of existence of Social Welfare Department, the department had limited jurisdiction to settle disputes legally as it was mainly confined to nutrition of children, he said since implementation of ICPS in 2009 in the country under Juvenile Justice Act cases related to violation of child rights could be taken up in the appropriate court of law.
The Director also informed that despite belated implementation of ICPS in Manipur necessary recruitment process has been completed to ensure that the Scheme is effectively implemented in Manipur.
From among the recruited personnel of ICPS requisite strength for district level functioning would be distributed under the district magistrate concerned, Ibobi said while conveying that some of the recruited personnel would also be utilised to fill vacant posts in the MCPCR.
In the formative year, MCPCR was allocated only Rs 5 lakh fund with no subordinate staff or vehicle, he maintained.
The first year of the Commission as pointed out in its annual report included recommendation to the State Government for immediate necessary action regarding collection of capitation fee and subjecting children or their parents/guardians to screening as part of the admission process for the 2013-14 academic session by some private schools run by the Catholic Society. As the said process was in violation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009, the Director of Education (S) subsequently took prompt action and issued necessary notification to stop the admission tests, mentioned the report.
In other cases, the Commission pulled up the Principal of a private school based on complaint of a girl student's parents that their child studying in class VI was expelled without giving any reason; initiation for repatriation of 23 children of Manipur trafficked to Rajasthan; registration of suo motu case in connection with 15 children losing consciousness inside their school van on May; inspection of Central Jails in Sajiwa and Imphal to ascertain report about detention of under-aged prisoners and subsequent confirmation about 26 inmates being below 19 years of age; recommendation to the State Government for necessary action on the report about missing children forwarded by the Child Welfare Committee, Imphal West district; similar action on a sexual assault case against a 16 year old girl; directive to the Labour Department to furnish number of child labour in the State; inspection and subsequent vacating of Chadong High School, Ukhrul district by security force; inspection of various schools to find out whether requisite infrastructure such as ramps, special toilets, special chair, special trained teachers for students with disabilities are in place.
According to the annual report, the Commission has been awaiting information from State departments concerned regarding number of hostels/boardings run by Government/private schools in the nine districts; list of schools recognised by the Education department under RTE; details about children home/observation home; information on 36 victims of child trafficking in Karnataka; progress report about 23 repatriated victims of trafficked children from Rajasthan; information about child labour; and action taken report on missing children from police stations concerned.

Child trafficking victims brought home

http://www.ifp.co.in/nws-18412-child-trafficking-victims-brought-home/

IMPHAL, November 26: The reception of 36 children from the state who were rescued from Bangaluru was held this evening at a function which was attended by Minister of Social Welfare Ak Mirabai, Naoriya Pakhanglakpa MLA RK Anand, principal secretary Varun Mitra, director of Social Welfare, N Rupachandra and joint secretary N Rupachandra.

An official while giving a brief report on how the children were rescued said, on September 2 last, the Child Welfare Committee officials from Bangaluru informed them about the news that some children from Manipur were rescued in a drive conducted by a local CWC team and Bangaluru Police. After failing to receive a reply to its request for a detailed report on the incident, a state team went to the South Indian city and met the children originally lodged at Mission Centre and Grace Home located at the city, he said.

After necessary verification of the children and completing the official process, they were brought back to Imphal this morning with the help of security provided by the state home department, he stated.

Mitra said the participation of civil society organizations, to complement the efforts of the state government and the concerned department, is crucial in checking child trafficking to other states on the pretext of providing of better education and employment for the innocent children, he said.

Minister Mirabai said around 300 children from the state have been brought back from various parts of the country since 2008 and identified child trafficking as a major problem being encountered by the state. Most of the unfortunate victims hailed from remote parts of hill districts, particularly Ukhrul, she said. Out of the 36 children, 11 were from Ukhrul district, 15 from Senapati, two from Bishnupur and eight from Churachandpur, she informed.

She announced that all the children will be handed over to the CWC at their respective district head quarters for their rehabilitation. They will be given free education and proper medical examinations will be done to ascertain their health conditions, she added.

She appealed to the general public to be observant of persons who entice innocent children to follow them outside Manipur by sowing hopes of good education and employment. They must make it mandatory to check the real identities of the recruiters and whether the institutions have gained recognition from the respective state governments, she said.

As part of its preparation for prevention of child trafficking, the department is working to fill up the vacant posts at State Protection of Child Rights and ICDS.

Mirabai apologized on behalf of her department to journalists for the misbehavior by officials of Takyel Observation Centre who tried to manhandle them when they arrived there in the morning to collect news about the 36 children rescued from children homes in Bangaluru, Karnataka. The minister, while speaking during the reception function later in the evening, said the unceremonious treatment meted out to the media persons will not be repeated and she will give stern instructions to the concerned officials in this regards.