Local Self Government and a one month old infant

A Supervisor of Manickal Gramapanchayath (LSG) called to our child helpline and passed the information that a one month old infant was being neglected by parents. Our team rushed to the spot to make a study of the actual situation. We found that its mother was mentally ill and the father was a drunkard.   

The situation of the child was pathetic and the family did not have a proper roof. As the mother was mentally ill, she was carrying the child with one hand precariously over the fire and often the infant was in danger. There was an elder child who was 11 years old and having only one pair of torn clothes to wear. The father was a drunkard and rarely reached home.  

Our team immediately sprang into action. With the help of the local self government members, the baby, with the mother and the elder child were rescued and brought to CHILDLINE office. The children were produced before the CWC (Child Welfare Committee) and shelter was arranged for the baby and mother at Mahilamandiram and the boy at our own shelter home.

  We collected the Transfer Certificate of the elder child after finding a children’s home in our locality and presently he is attending school regularly. The mother is being provided with treatment to bring her back to normalcy.  The baby too is safe now.

The Local Self Government’s involvement to help the family is indeed a model to be imitated across the state as it is often a rare example. They were indeed genuinely interested to provide help to the family. They also offered future support when necessary.

Looking back at the number of cases we have dealt with in the near past, we are surprised at the number of cases with mental health problems. It seems that the mental health of the people of Trivandrum is deteriorating.

 There is also another realization that psychiatric disorders among members of the family are a major reason for family break up across the state. There is absolutely no system to decipher such issues in the childhood and measures to provide early help to grow up gracefully with a realization of the problem and measures to take care of it before entering family life.

Better Health for Karimadom

With the onset of monsoon, the Kerala society is on bed due to different illnesses owing to unhygienic conditions. Trivandrum district has hospitals overflowing with patients down with dengue and other dangerous illnesses with deaths being reported every day. Even in the midst of development in the erudite society of Kerala there is absolute failure in terms of waste management and hygiene. The health of Karimadom slum dwellers become vulnerable during the rainy season due to the fact that they do not have good homes and because of sewage entering their homes when the streets are flooded as their homes are built close to the open sewage of the city.

On 15^th June Trivandrum Don Bosco Veedu Society in collaboration with Arogya Keralam, and Fort Taluk Hospital conducted an awareness programme on health care and a half day medical camp.

The medical camp kicked off with an inaugural ceremony in which Fr. Francis Karackatt, the Rector of Trivandrum Don Bosco Veedu presided over and Mr. PS Nair, the ward counselor lighted the lamp. Dr. B Unnikrishnan, the DMO of Trivandrum District led the awareness classes after the inaugural ceremony. After the health and hygiene awareness classes, the medical camp started with three doctors and a paramedic to take care of the patients. Over 150 people from the colony attended the medical camp, underwent check up and received medication. The medical camp ended at 1.30 p.m.

TRIVANDRUM RID OF AN EVIL

Child Labour Free District Declaration

On the International anti child labour Day (12^th June) Trivandrum District has been declared as a child labour-free district. Don Bosco Veedu Society had been networking with the Labour Department, District administration, the Police Department, Social Welfare Department and CHILDLINE to rid the Trivandrum district of the evil of child labour as early as 1993. Years of efforts have been rewarded on 12^th June, 2013 when the Additional District Magistrate of Trivandrum District, Shri. V. R. Vinod proclaimed the District as child labour free district on behalf of the DC of the district Shri. K. N Satheesh.

The function was held at Government Upper Primary School Vellarada, Trivandrum.  The function began at 3. 30 pm. The President of the function, the Panchyat President of Vellarada, Shri. C. Ashok Kumar, the Panchayat Standing Committee chairman, Shri. Mangal Das, Shri. P. Sugathan, the District Labor Officer, the District Coordinator of CHILDLINE, Shri. Maneesh, the School authorities, parents and children were present at the function.

The Director of Don Bosco Veedu Society, Fr. P. D Thomas welcomed the gathering and enumerated the efforts of the Society and other stake holders in eradicating child labour from the district of Trivandrum. He maintained that the declaration would not mean that there will be no more child labourers reaching in the district of Trivandrum but that there would be a system in place to care for the children who would otherwise lose their childhood and a better education and end up in the vicious circle of poverty-child-labour-poverty. It also means that each citizen of the district is bound to act in favour of the child, ready to rescue and protect children from child labour. He welcomed all the participants to the joyful occasion of the declaration.

In the presidential address the panchayat president promised that he will take necessary actions to see that his panchayat is made into a child friendly panchayat. The ADM of the district declared the district as a child labour free district. He also lit the lamp and inaugurated the function. In his speech he appreciated the efforts of the NGOs and Government machinery for the incessant work to make the district child labour free. He exhorted the children to stand up for themselves and be ready to take care of their friends who need assistance to a dignified life and good education.

The declaration was followed by a pledge to act in favour of child labourers. All other dignitaries also appreciated the efforts of CHILDLINE to create a child friendly district where the rights of children are respected. The function ended with words of gratitude by the District Labour Officer.

ADM's Speech on Anti-Child Labour Day

Bollywood Beckons!

Sunita (11 years) and Divya (11 yrs) (Given Name) are VIth grade girl children studying in a well known school in Trivandrum. Hindi being the main language used in the school, the Television channels they watch during summer vacation is also mainly hindi. The parents of both children are working and hence away from home during the day. Both families are neighbours and hence children are close friends.

Having been watching regular reality shows during the holidays together, the children decided to travel to Mumbai to take part in the reality show auditions. They got ready their baggage without the knowledge of parents and left for the railway station on 23^rd May, 2013.

The Women and Child help Booth of Don Bosco at the Trivandrum Railway station is always manned by our staff. They observe the station premises for children travelling alone and for street children. Having spotted the kids, in the railway station our staff quizzed them and found that they were planning to travel to Mumbai without knowledge parents. Our staff brought them to Don Bosco Nivas and after long counseling they revealed their situation.

Both children are from middle class families and Sunitha is the only child 0f her parents.  Both the children were unhappy with their parents.  Divya’s diary contained pages on how she hated her parents. Sunitha had a multimedia phone which was her own.

The parents were surprised and dismayed when we informed them about their children. This is the umpteenth time the surprised look of parents are seen when they come to know what their children are upto! Each information we give to the parents about their children are revelation to them. Having educated the children on the dangers that could have befallen them on travelling alone and having brought them down from ‘reality show’ world to the reality of life we restored the children to their parents.

In the middle class family of present Kerala society both parents are working. The children move from tuition to school to tuition. There is no time for sharing and caring. Hence there is a widening gap between parents and children and the mental health of children is perilously endangered. Strong intervention and education of parents and children are the need of the hour. The children need to feel the love and care of parents and parents need to know what their children are engaged in. Media education to bring children back from the virtual world the world of reality is essential.

The Women and Child Help Centre at the railway station is proving to be a very important intervention to rescue and protect children from being lost. The railway police (GRP) and RPF are also very helpful in locating children who are unaccompanied.

Four Abandoned Children Sheltered

Our Railway Staff spotted a couple with 7 children travelling by train. Immediate doubt was whether the children were being trafficked. But they were looking for shelter for four children. Our staff brought all of them to the office. After talking to them we found that three children were of the couple and other four children were of their neighbor! The neighbor’s first wife had deserted the family and was living separately with their children and filed a case against husband for maintenance.  During this time he met another lady with five children and not having a husband. He started to live with her and her five children. Meanwhile his wife left their children and took off with another man taking only the last girl child who was too young.   She left the children with the couple who were presently finding it difficult to look after all seven children. The couple sought the help of his friend to come to CHILDLINE to find shelter for the four children. We produced all four children before CWC and provided shelter for two boys at Don Bosco Shelter home and two girl children at Chithra Home.  

As all the four children are presently without their mother or father it is appropriate that they be given in continuous foster care. A family atmosphere for a child can never be replaced with an institution. The alternative child care systems such as adoption and foster care are very much inadequate in Kerala. Because of this there are a large number of children who lose their childhood due to insufficient care in children’s homes. Appropriate laws and prompt implementation are the need of the hour.

The Firefly Shines on…

Fort SI Sherry Distributes School Materials to Children

This year’s Don Bosco Summer Camp MINNAMINNI (FIREFLY) 2013 concluded with the valedictory function on May 10^th 2013. 

The function started at 11.00 am by the Welcome speech from Fr. P.D Thomas, Director, Don Bosco Veedu, and the function was presided over by the Rector of Don Bosco, Fr. Francis Karakkatt.  He gave the message on being a good child always and to shine on like Minnamminni (firefly).  Chief Guest, Sub Inspector of Fort Police Station Shri. Sherry, encouraged the children to do good always to help others in his felicitation talk and gave away the prizes to the groups.  He also distributed the educational materials such as School bags, Note books, Umbrellas, and pens all the campers.

The campers showed their abilities by performing good dances, songs and other porgrammes. Ms. Aswathy presented the detailed camp report of one month and the function came to an end by the vote of thanks by camp leader Mrs. Amala to the guests, teachers, and those who participated in the camp.  The children departed happily with the dreams of a picnic to Happy Land on the next day.

We appreciate the help from generous persons who contributed the expenses for the school materials and picnic expenses for over 100 needy and poor children.

Children Performing

Five Children and their Mother on the Street

On 25^th April one concerned person called to our helpline and informed that there were four children wandering on the streets with a lady and that she had sold the smallest child.  Our ever alert team immediately rushed to the spot but the effort was in vein because they had disappeared.    One week later another informer tipped us off that he found some children with a lady.  This time our team went prepared having informed the police.  Four children and the lady were brought to CHILDLINE office. After inquiry we found that the lady taking the children around the streets was their grandmother.  She informed us that her daughter Sindhu (Given Name) was a sex worker. She said that the fifth child was with Sindhu. She had given the child to a person to look after when she wandered the streets.

We arranged shelter for all four children in shelter homes for care and rehabilitation of the children through the Child Welfare Committee of the District.   In the next week, Sindhu called to our helpline and sought permission to see her children, so our staff asked her to come over to CHILDLINE office with her youngest child.  She brought her child and our staff talked to her for a length of time. She revealed that she was abused by a man at the age of 12 for the first time.  Then she had a live in relation with different people and mothered all the children from different people.  She was carrying the small child with her wherever she went.

We counseled Sindhu and she expressed willingness to surrender her small child and we arranged a home for the child.  Sindhu also wanted to return from her deviant ways and we found a job for her and she wants now to live for her children.

We find that after over 23 years of our efforts there is a great awareness among the general public to the issues facing children. The very fact that people immediately call up to our helpline when they find children in distress is a positive impact of our incessant efforts to restore child rights.