Tag: #save-girl-child

HUMAN TRAFFICKING DURING PANDEMIC

Human Trafficking is a major issue in India and Worldwide. Though, it has been there for ages, the reason for the need of immediate attention is the COVID – 19 Pandemic. The pandemic bought about various social and economical changes in India giving rise to human trafficking cases. The lockdown raised higher level of unemployment amongst daily wage earners. This further lead to effecting the economic background of such families, especially in the rural areas. Having no other source of income lead to desperation in people which made them promote human trafficking by selling their children, making them beg for money and sending their children for child labour. Moreover, the closure of schools increased human trafficking cases as there was no source of education for children. This gave the families and opportunity to use the children economically for labour and wed their girl child at an early age to save the future expenses. Absence of schools further increased the burden on families as many rural schools provided mid-day meal to their students. Absence of which made the children a further burden on the families and an additional stomach to feed. This made them give their children away in a hope for a better future for them and food for their children.


Along with such cases, many organ removal cases in the name of covid cases were found. Many physically fit people with weak financial backgrounds were falsely shown positive for corona virus and later declared dead because of the same. It was found that many traffickers removed organs from such bodies and declared them dead. Hence, this issue is important in the current times and require more attention than ever.

Yes, it’s difficult to step outside and help in this uncertain times but we individuals can start from our homes. The family domestic help, house help, workers, etc belong to rural and economically weak family backgrounds. Hence, talking to them and knowing about their lives can help us get a clear picture of their situation. We can educate them and spread awareness about the wrongs that they might be exposed to. This knowledge might help them be aware and spread the words to different people in their families and neighbourhood, that in turn might create a huge impact on the society as a whole.

Many a times people give into such situations where they willingly promote human trafficking, out of desperation and helplessness. As in case of a daily wage worker who has no other means to support his family economically might sell his child to survive. Hence, it is important to make them aware about various other way where they might get financial help without getting trapped into such rackets. There are government supports yojanas and schemes where they help such people, but in order to get help it is important to know about the availability of that help and that can only be done through awareness. It may not change the entire world scenario but one step by every citizen might make a huge impact altogether.

A Survivor : The Story of Lakshmi Agarwal

She was just a 15 year old girl . A girl , full of life . But what happened to her .

It’s her story . A story of a survivor.

She was powerful not because she wasn’t scared but because she went on so strongly, despite the fear.”

– Atticus

At the age of 15 , when a girl or a boy makes happy memories and learn about life . She was attacked in the market full of people . She was attacked because she rejected an old jerk of 32 years old.

A 32 year old proposed a marriage proposal to a 15 year old girl , who lives near the neighborhood. She ignored and rejected him and he planned an acid attack .

Her name is Lakshmi Agarwal , she was attacked at the age of 15 in 2005 in New Delhi after rejecting the romantic advances of Naeem Khan . She didn’t inform anyone about the scenario because she believed her parents and society would have blamed her and stopped her study .

After 10 months , Lakshmi was in the market and Naeem asked her again through message about the marriage proposal but she didn’t respond . And in no time , Kamran (Naeem’s older brother ) and his girlfriend attacked her with acid . He was in the motorcycle and his girlfriend Rakhi threw acid on Lakshmi , when Kamran called her name and she looked behind for response.

She fainted on the road and when she regain consciousness she went middle of the road asked for help and met with multiple accidents but no one stopped to help her . She was burning in fire and her skin was melting.

A man named Arun Singh called PCR and told police about the situation . Someone threw water to help her but it turned out opposite and the acid burnt her neck . Arun think it might be late , so he helped her on the backseat of his car , later the seat cover turned into black hole due to the acid .

Arun admitted her in the hospital , called police and her family . Lakshmi went through many surgeries and operations including eye surgery. Four days later Naeem Khan got arrested but was bailed after a month later .

Protests and media attention.

After many protests and media attention Naeem got life imprisonment .

Lakshmi’s story was one of the series in the Hindustan Times. Lakshmi was scared after the attack because most of her face and body parts were not same as before . But she didn’t loose hope ,she fought for justice , asked for help for the victims of acid attacks and pleaded the law for the ban on sale of acid.

Meanwhile government failed to frame policies on acid sale and chemical attacks .

“ Seriousness is not seen on the part of the government in handling the issue,” the bench headed by Justice RM Lodha.

In 2013 , the plea of Agarwal was heard and later claims that “ Acid is freely available in shops. Our own volunteers have gone and purchased acid easily. In fact, I have myself purchased acid,” she said. “We have launched a new initiative called ‘Shoot Acid’.

After , the law passed by Supreme court . Lakshmi founded NGO named Chhanv Foundation to help acid attack survivors in India.

In 2019, she was honored with the International Women Empowerment Award from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and UNICEF for her campaign of Stop Acid Sale. In 2014, she received the International Women of Courage award at the hands of First Lady Michelle Obama.

And the movie Chhapaak is based on her life and stars Deepika Padukone in her role.

“And one day she discovered that she was fierce, and strong, and full of fire, and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears.”

– Mark Anthony

Link

Female Foeticide

The term Female Foeticide means killing the FOETUS in the mother’s womb. It happens before taking birth, after the sex recognition tests like an ultrasound scan. The practice of any sex determination is prohibited or illegal in India. It is an awful practice or shamed those parents who were abortion the girl child. It unbalanced the sex ratio of a particular state or country.

NO PRESENT, NO PAST, NO FUTURE WITHOUT GIRL CHILD

Female foeticide is unethical & illegal practice in India. It is a practice by the families who are despairing for a baby boy.

One of the many reasons behind this is the regressive thinking of the people that the son will earn while the girls will only consume.

It has been the most important topic for social awareness in Indian society. Which youth of our country must know about it. We must empower our young girls to emphasize their rights diligently.

In India, the girl is worshipped as ‘Devi’ on the other hand, denying her existence, or we can say they don’t have the right to live. The time has perhaps come to get rid of male chauvinism and treat children as a gift of nature.

Some main reasons for female foeticide are:

  • A major social evil of dowry makes people commit to this crime. There is a long practice of dowry burdens the parents from the day a girl is born.
  • This is a pride issue in society for the guardian to have a boy in the family.
  • There is a stress on women of the family to give birth to a male child, so she is forced to go for sex recognition and abort if the baby is a girl.
  • Some doctors do this heinous act for money.
  • Women are viewed as liabilities.
  • Illiteracy, insecurity, and poverty in society are significant reasons for this act.

The The government made many slogans to stop female foeticide like:-

  • Save the girl save the nation!
  • Beti Bachao Beti padho!
  • Our daughter is a knot that ties the family together!
  • Female foeticide is a crime.
  • When a fetus of a female is killed, it is anti-life; stop female foeticide!
  • Say no to female foeticide!

Narrow minded people want a bride for their son but kills their own daughter. What do they expect? If everyone starts thinking like them. These criminals don’t deserve a life

It is said that God creates mothers because he couldn’t present everywhere. But it is unbelievable to realise God’s representative is continuously killing someone beautiful even before she comes out and see the beauty of nature.

The practice of female foeticide is vital in the early of 1990’s when the Ultrasound technique was invented to check the health of the baby inside the mother’s womb, especially knowing the genetic disorder, and this technique was being used for this crime. The misconceptions of Indian patriarchal society have a male child, particularly in the family. This leads to the enhancement of this crime.

Some adverse effects of this practice are shown as;

  1. Decrease the female’s population, which imbalance the sex ratio.
  2. Women are abused and sexually exploited in the society.
  3. It Leads to women trafficking.
  4. Also, adverse effects on women’s health physically, mentally, and emotionally.
  5. The suicide rate in women will increase.
  6. Due to a decline in sex ratio, women are kidnapped, brought, and sold for marriage.

The most preventive act against this crime is The PARENTAL DIAGNOSTIC TEST Act (PNDT Act) of 1994, which states that:-

  1. This act was brought in the year 1994 in all states of India but came into force in 1996.
  2. According to this act, prenatal diagnostic techniques are prohibited and regulated.
  3. PNDT Act was amended in the year 2003 with its main aim to ban the use of sex selection techniques as well as misuse of prenatal diagnostic techniques for sex selecting abortion

Only legislation enacted in this behalf is not sufficient. Orthodox views regarding women must need to be changed. The PNDT act should penalize and punish the violators for this crime strictly. The destructive act of female foeticide and coercive abortions has to end before women become endangered species. We must give equal opportunities to the daughters of our country. Girls do not have equal access to healthcare education and more as their boys counterpart. This is why parents consider them a burden. Therefore, all these facilities must be made accessible to them for the same. This will help them create an identity of their own.