Indian schooling system!

Hindustan Times
New Delhi, August 31, 2007

A survey carried out this year by the union ministry of women and child
development shows nearly 50 per cent of children between the ages of 5 and
18 in 13 states across the country are sexually abused at school. And 53 per
cent say they have suffered some form of sexual abuse at school or
elsewhere.

Of the total number of sexual assaults reported, half came from Delhi
(14.77%), Andhra Pradesh (13.67%), Assam (11.78%), and Bihar (10.34%). Over
4 per cent of respondents said they had been photographed in the nude.

The highest number of sexual assaults described as “severe” were reported
from Assam (52.27%), followed by Delhi (41%), Andhra Pradesh (33.87%) and
Bihar (33.27%). Overall, 21.9 per cent of children reported “severe” sexual
abuse while 50.76 per cent reported other forms of sexual abuse.

Abdul Mabood, who runs Snehi, an NGO working in the area of child and
adolescent mental health, says children calling his helpline often report
their parents and teachers do not listen to them.

“I get 3-4 such cases every month. And the worst problem is that even if
parents take up the issue, schools refuse to take it up too,” he says.

Usha Ram, principal of Laxman Public School and chairperson of the National
Progressive Schools’ Conference, says: “Children must be taught to be aware
of their bodies, and not let anybody touch them inappropriately, like in the
private parts. Schools and parents must both train the child to report
something like this and also keep a close watch for any abnormal behaviour
in the chisld. Teachers who abuse children are mentally sick.”

The survey also brought out the wide prevalence of corporal punishment a
form of physical abuse of children in schools.

Over 65 per cent of children surveyed said they were subjected to corporal
punishment in schools. The situation in Delhi is especially scary: nearly
seven out of 10 children said they were beaten up and humiliated at school.

From the survey, government and municipal schools students appeared to be
suffering the most at the hands of their teachers. Over 62 per cent of the
instances of corporal punishment are from government and municipal schools.

(end)

Remember Gaura and her bro and sister?

Their father was arrested months ago and they had no one to look after them?
Thanks to some of our well-wishers we have been able to keep them going until now. The father finally was released just few days ago and we have just given the August supply.
A hearty thanks to Bharati, USA who has continued supporting them all this time.
hopefully from now on the father will be able to care for his children.

A very BIG "THANK YOU" dear Govindji Mulji.

Yesterday I received the following message,

"Dear Rupa I read in your diary with sadness the burning of a brahmin in braj.
It is my fathers desire to look after the financial requirement for his treatment so please let us know what is required and will make arrangement to send you.
Thank you in providing this opportunity,
Haribol".

We have already sent the Brahmana to a hospital for a check and we are waiting the results, hopefully there will be something that can be done to make his life easier.

Again oue heartfelt thanks to Govindji and his wonderful family... from all of us in Braja.

This is too much! Anyone out there?

Shanker, a brahmana from a brajabsi family is 40yrs old.
He used to work as a cook. He owns a small shop near kishore-pura. About one year ago, he was working on his shop frying snacks suddenly he had a seizure and felt down in the cauldron which was full of boiling oil.

He suffered burns of 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree on the face. He lost his nose, he breaths by two small holes and no more lips, only one hole.
He has one girl and one boy.
The girl is 14 yrs old and his wife is on the shop still selling snacks.
They have absolutely no finances for doing any surgery.

I know it is his karma but it may be our good karma to be able to help this poor brahman from Vrindavan Dham.
I you wish to help him, please contact me asap
rupa@fflvrindavan.org

India of the billionaire and the "other" India

Hindustan Times

New Delhi, August 10, 2007

What can Rs 20 possibly fetch? For 836 million Indians, Rs 20 per day, or Rs

600 a month, buys them their daily sustenance.

Technically, a large chunk of these 836 million Indians — 77 per cent of the

country’s population — are above the poverty line at Rs 12 per day.

But the reality is that they remain dismally poor, comprising largely of

STs, SCs, OBCs and Muslims, according to the report on Conditions of Work

and Promotion of Livelihood in the Unorganised Sector. This is the the first

authoritative study on the state of informal or unorganised employment in

India, compiled by the National Commission for Enterprises in the

Unorganised Sector (NCEUS), a government-affiliated body.

The report is based on government data for the period between 1993-94 and

2004-05.

A staggering 394.9 million workers, or 86 per cent of India’s working

population, toil in the unorganised sector, which means they work without a

social security cover.

Nearly 80 per cent of these workers are among those who live on less than Rs

20 per day.

NCEUS chairman Dr Arjun Sengupta said: “These are the discriminated,

disadvantaged and downtrodden. People who live on Rs 20 or less per day are

the real poor and vulnerable.”

Sengupta told HT that Rs 20, which signifies consumption pattern, is an

indicator of the person’s income and saving. “If people do not earn, how

will they spend or save?” he added.

Agriculture, the report found, was a fertile ground for poverty, especially

for small and marginal farmers, 84 per cent of whom spent more than they

earned and were often caught in debt traps.

Latest on the old lady

Taking care of the old lady has been compounded by the lack of facility to house her.

Care givers have been impossible to find as well. No one wants to do the job of helping her with her toilet which she does in a bed pan. We can't find anyone willing to clean her or the pan. It's considered a job only for the low caste or harijans who do work of cleaning the drains and sewers.

Even if we were to get her adult diapers no one would handle those.

We have had to accommodate this lady with the dwellers of the shanties around this area, parents of some of our children are helping in setting her up.

We made her a small tent like structure as no one else is willing to give her a room, even though we were prepared to rent one, right now we still need financial help with her bills as well as a token donation to the lady who has agreed to take care of her in a shack next to her that we have just built.

If anyone is inspired please contact me asap: rupa@fflvrindavan.org

The benefit of helping someone reside in Vrindavan is not to be minimized, like Srila Prabhodanda Sarasvati Thakur said:

“One who helps others reside in Vrindavan by supplying them food, clothes, and residence accumulates a million more times the piety than one who resides there, because one who resides there delivers only himself, whereas one who helps others reside there delivers himself as well as those that he helps.”– Sataka 1, text 73, Sri Vrindavan Mahimamrta Srila Prabhodananda Sarasvati Thakur"

Ultimately we will have to set up a small facility—even if it is just two rooms where we can take these destitute elderly – women and men so they can at least have some dignity in their last moments. A full time staff of 3 can administer palliative care.