Should you be forced to pay for what should come free?

Children’s education is a major chunk of household expense…and most Indians can’t afford private school fees. All this when education is a RIGHT – an entitlement.

The new Right to Education Act seeks to achieve just this…Perfect? Not really. Half of India’s children are left out of the Act…And it is not backed by enough funds. Now, if only the government could include pre-primary and high school as well, AND put its money where its mouth is…
The Act has been passed but your support could amend it to reach EVERY child. Log onto
Education - Every Child's Right on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=38445633833

The Girl Child in India

She has only half as good a chance as her brothers at good healthcare, at enrolling in school, at not dropping out by Class 5. She is as interested in sports the same as the boys, she likes her dolls but is not beholden to become a mother and wife. In fact she wants to spend her childhood like any other child – well-cared for, fed, educated, protected, and heard.

24th September is celebrated as International Girl Child Day. On this day to create awareness on the issues affecting the girl child and garner support, CRY is inviting people to sign the charter in support of girl child rights.

The doll created as a symbol of CRY's campaign for the girl child needs a name. She is a girl, she is Indian. She symbolises CRY’s fight for the rights of children.

Click here for more - http://www.cry.org/GCMicroSite/GCLandingpage09/index.html

CRY Launched Photo Signature Campaign to Send Children to School, Not to Work

Officers from Sarva Siksha Abhiyan pose for the CRY photo signature campaign

Today – on World Anti Child Labour Day, CRY launched a year-long campaign to ‘Send children to school, not work’. CRY sent out a placard “Children should go to school, not work” to supporters on online portals. The invite is to get as many people as possible to pose with the placard in as creative a manner as possible and get a photograph taken and send these photos to CRY.

“Through a series of such campaigns and on-ground activities the volunteers are looking to make citizens aware of the many schemes available to children and their families that help enroll children in school. CRY volunteers have involved about 3000 people in Mumbai in the past year in the campaign ” said Puja Marwaha, Director-West, CRY. For more information visit the CRY website.

Objective of the photo signature campaign:

• To enable greater numbers to participate in the Anti Child Labour Campaign, in their own spaces
• To build pressure on government to address the root causes of Child Labour and to implement holistic rehabilitation policies
• To encourage people to improve their own understanding of why children do not go to school by participating in other campaign activities as well

“Not a single rehabilitation policy comprehensively addresses all aspects that push children in to labour. It is our duty as citizens to use our voices and our learning to stand up for the rights of children who are forced to work and whose childhoods are lost on construction sites, in looking after siblings, in illegal factory settings and in hotels and restaurants,” said CRY Volunteer Krishna Singh, and independent professional who has been a CRY volunteer for the past year in campaigning against child labour.

Through the year the citizens of Maharashtra will use various events to build a voice for Child Rights, one event at a time, one person at a time. “This campaign will not stop till children are assured of their right to a present AND a future”, avows Havovi Wadia, Manager, Child Rights and You.

CRY volunteers will go to bookshops, colleges, schools, communities, through the months of June and July to encourage people to actively support the right of all children to go to school, not work
All the photo signatures will be part of a short film to be uploaded on the Internet on August 15th. Copies of the photo signatures and the film will be sent to the Labour Commissioner, the Department of Women and Child Department, MPs and MLAs in Mumbai.

A story I got from Pakistan "Are we Different ? "

Life Story: Nadeem

Nadeem is a 9 year old boy who works as an apprentice weaver for a wealthy man named Sadique. Nadeem's father is Mirza, a 30 year old brick worker. Sadique is describing the "advantages" his son will "enjoy" in his job position. "I've admired your boy for several months," Sadique says. "Nadeem is bright and ambitious. He will learn far more practical skills in six months at the loom than he would in six years of school. He will be taught by experienced craftsmen, and his pay will rise as his skills improve. Have no doubt, your son will be thankful for the opportunity you have given him, and the Lord will bless you for looking so well after your own."


Sadique most aggressively hires 7-10 year old children because they are "the most energetic and dexterous at this stage of development and are very obedient." Sadique says that the boys would work all day and night if he asked. But, when pressed, Sadique says that he hires them first and foremost because he can save a lot of money. Three boys who produce first class rugs would receive the same salary as a second-class adult weaver. The low cost of his labor gives Sadique a significant edge over all of his competitors in countries where child labor laws are enforced. They greatly undersell their competitors, and, not surprisingly, American and European consumers are attracted to low price, yet high quality goods, not knowing of the children who slaved away making them. Whatever reluctance Mirza currently has are greatly overshadowed by his poverty, which is extreme and worsening. He supports a family of five by working at a kiln nearby, molding bricks by hand for around 80 hours a week. Many families in similar conditions are forced to give their children up to manufacturers like Sadique for as little as $15 US. Poverty is ruling the children’s lives. They are thrown into an endless cycle of hard manual labor. Once the child is put into this cycle, the family usually cannot raise enough money to buy the child back, or the child never gets an education or even a payment to go do something else later on in his/her life.

By Gladson Dungdung
9 June, 2009

The ‘Kelaghgh dam’ is the most beautiful dam constructed on Chhinda river in Simdega district of Jharkhand situated at a distance of 4 km from the district headquarter. It is the best tourist place in the district with lovely water dam surrounded by multiple hills which attracts tourists very much. There is a plateau in the dam where a small and beautiful park exists. Besides, the district administration provides the facility of motor boating and a hotel is also constructed where the tourists can avail the lodging and food facility. But how many of us really know that this beautiful place is made on the grave of Adivasis (indigenous people)? Their only livelihood resource that was land had been snatched away from them during the construction of the Dam. The promises made for providing jobs, adequate compensation and rehabilitation packages were not fulfilled. The owners of the lands were left to die in the name of ‘development’.

The Kelaghagh dam was constructed in 1980 under the minor irrigation project of the irrigation department of the government with the aim of irrigating land of the Simdega block, where three villages – Bernibera, Bara Barpani and Bhudhratoli completely submerged in the dam with the affected people of approximately 3500. These villages were highly populated by Kharia, Munda and Oraon Adivasis, where they used to practice their interesting tradition and culture.

Interestingly, the project failed to achieve its objective. Presently, the water reaches to only one village – Meromdega and the water supply to Tukupani, Jambahar and other areas was stopped since a long time. Though the irrigation project uprooted the well-off Adivasis of three villages but only one village is being benefited from the project. Secondly, the Simdega Notified Area Committee supplies the drinking water to Simdega town from the dam but the displaced people, those who have been living near by the Dam get supply water neither for drinking nor for irrigating their a few pieces of land.

A village called Bernibera situated at a distance of 5 kilometers in the eastern part of Simdega lost it origin, meaning and identity, which had a historic origin made of two words – Berni and Bera. The ‘Berni’ is the name of an herbal plant, which is used as a medicine to cure fever, and the plant is also used to make a rope. Another word ‘Bera’ is a Kharia (language of Kharia Adivasis) word meaning a big piece of fertile land. Hence, there were big pieces of fertile lands and Berni herbal plants were also in plenty nearby the village therefore the village was named Bernibera. The people of the village used to yield plenty of wheat, paddy and vegetables. But when the dam was constructed the big pieces of fertile lands submerged in the dam and the herbal plants also disappeared from the area.

70 years old Mangaldas Kharia is one of those unfortunate victims of Bernibera village faced displacement while construction of Kelaghagh Dam. His family was well-off as his father (Jakarias Kharia) had 20 acres of fertile land in the village and he was also working as a teacher in a government primary school. He had also purchased another 10 acres of land in a village called Lathakhamhan, where he used to teach is a school with a dream of making a good life for his sons (Mangaldash and Isaac). Since he had two sons therefore he was willing to settle them in two different places so that there would be no chances of any conflict between them. But his dream was washed away by the dam. His land of Bernibera village was submerged in the dam and he was given merely Rs. 11,000 as compensation.

Finally, the family had no option than settling down in Lathakhamhan village, where the family had 10 acres of land. The land of Lathakhamhan village was divided between two brothers (Mangaldas and Isaac), which led to a huge division in the family. Though Mangaldas Khria survived because he got the government job as teacher in the place of his father but his younger brother Isaac suffered the most. Later on Isaac and his wife were brutally murdered and their four kids left the village and living else where. They are still not able to settle down. Thus, a well-off family was destroyed by the development project and Mangaldas Kharia is still fighting for the compensation for the land. He recalls that how women those who were protesting against the construction of dam had been kept in the Hazaribagh Jail for three days in 1980.

The villagers had started protesting against the land acquisition by shouting a slogan ‘No to Dam’ but the protest was stopped when the police atrocity was inflicted on the people. In 2007, the displaced people again started a fight with the government for the jobs and compensation promised during the land acquisition for the dam. 70 Raiyats (land owners) including Mangaldash Kharia have filed a case in Gumla Civil Court claiming for the jobs and compensation for their lands. But the unanswered question is will the justice be delivered to them? They have paid the heavy price for the development but get no opportunity to enjoy its taste. Ironically, the government of Jharkhand has signed 102 MoUs (Memorandum of understand) with the corporate houses for establishment of steel plants, mining industries and power plants without addressing the issues of more than 15 lack displaced masses. Are we still advocating for this kind of unjust development processes in India?

Source: www.jharkhandmirror.com