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Sunday 22 September 2013
Friday 20 September 2013
A CRUSADE TO UPROOT THE FLESH TRADE
Ahmednagar based
former ABVP activities Dr.Girish Kulkarni rehabilitates over 900 sex workers
ensuring respectable jobs for their 300 children During the last four decades
the Governments, both state and central, spent billins of rupees on
rehabilitation of commercial sex workers. What is the result-mushrooming of red
light areas and forced entry of minor girls into the trade! The government
claims about 6.8 lakh registered sex workers in the country, but the NACO estimates
this number to be more than 12 lakh. Amidst this number game Dr.Girish Kulkarni
of Ahmednagar in Maharashtra has successfully rehabilitated over 900 commercial
sex workers and effectively curbed the entry of second generation into the
trade. Twenty years back there were 900 sex workers operating from four streets
of Ahemednager, but today they remain just 150 and that too only in one street.
Not surprisingly, 300 children of these women are today doing respectable jobs
in state police and different government departments. Wedding of about 200
rescued girls has also been performed.
Normally, it is
believed that prostitution is a one way traffic in which there is no U-turn. Of
the many reasons, which block the U-turn, the most serious ones are the tight
hold of brothel-keepers, the chain of beneficiaries who thrive on their labour
and the inability to cope with the stigma attached to them by wider society.
In such circumstances
even thinking about rehabilitation of these women is a herculean as well as
life-threatening task. The topmost challenge is: what is the acceptable
alternative, and how to provide production from the people prospering from the
earnings of such women? Anybody who dares to do it has to face the
consequences. But Dr.Girish Kulkarni took up this challenge 25 years ago and so
far successfully rehabilitated over 900 such women through his Snehalaya. For
it, he had to fight not only against the pimps, brothel-keepers but also
against the highly influential businessmen, policemen and bureaucrats in the
district.
Formed in 1989 to
work for the Victims of Trafficking (VCSE-T) in red light areas of
Chitra,Bhagat and Mamta lanes in Ahmednagar,Snehalaya is today an outstanding
example of how youth can make a difference in the lives of people. It created a
history in 2010 when it secured the conviction of 20 highly influential persons
of Ahmednagar, who sexually exploited a
minor girl of 14 years. All 20 0f them were sentenced to Double Life
Imprisonment. Another similar case of a minor is pending in the court.
The output of
Snehalaya’s persistent efforts is clearly visible. The sexually transmitted
diseases (except HIV/AIDS) have almost disappeared and use of condoms in red
light areas is 96 per cent, highest in the country, similarly, during the last
20 years no child prostitute joined the trade. Apart from many other reasons,
it can be attributed to relentless filing of cases against brothel keepers,
pimps and procurers, and their successful convictions in the courts.
Thanks to Snehalaya
the children of prostitutes are in a process of life –changing education
creating a number of role models from the community. Some of the children got
admissions in top schools of the city and proved their mettle in the results.
About 300 of them have got quality jobs. Snehalaya also provides medical
facilities and ensures rehabilitation for HIV+ women and children. It runs
Balbhavans in 7 major slums of Ahmednagar and provides after-school coaching to
nearly 2000 students. Apart from 150
abandoned infants, many unwed mothers, raped victims, widows have also been
rehabilitated. Snehalaya’s upcoming Himmatgram project is going to prove a ray
of hope for HIV victims and sex workers, who are being rehabilitated by
providing vocational skills and employment. Snehalays dedicated team of
volunteers has devoted their lives for the betterment of these women. Perhaps
this is the reason that noted film personality, Aamir Khan, on May 6,2012 ,
during his popular TV show Satyamev Jayate, appealed for help to Snehalaya in
this fight.
Snehalaya has also
motivated these women to start their own Self-Help Groups (SHG) in all red
–light areas of the district. The most poignant testimony of Snehalays’s
empowerment efforts has come in the form of some outstanding milestones. Lata
Pawar wrote the first autobiography of a prostitute in Marathi, while Sangeeta
Shelar, a former prostitute, represented Snehalaya in the world AIDS Conference
held in Mexico in 2008, Similarly, Kantabai Kale became one of Snehalaya’s
trustees in the initial days itself and Meena Shinde is working as an honorary
director.
A professor and wel
known crusader in the district, Dr.Kulkarni has been an active worker of Akhil
Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad(ABVP) from 1983 to 1991. His concern for the
plight of sexually exploited women was not sudden. As a young boy of 14 while
attending tution classes in a by lane known for prostitution, he heard some of
the women yell out in pain, as their customers beat them up or the brothel-keepers inhumanly tortured them.”We
always try to convince the prostitutes to leave this trade and start a new
life. Though, it is a very tough decision to execute for so many reasons, we
have inspired many of them to leave the profession,””he says.
Talking about the
challenges he encountered, Dr.Girish says, “Preparing a sex worker to live a
respectable life is not an easy task. We have to start from de-addiction and
then the habit of work is developed and vocational training is imparted. Then
social acceptance also remains a big question. Sometimes circumstances
disappointed and hurt me but most of the times they taught me a lot and
influenced my life immensely”.
Of late, some of his
students have also started working in various red light areas after completion
of their education. What satisfies Dr.Girish more is the fact that the society
is slowly changing its orthodox attitude towards the women and children from
red-light areas. The girls rescued from the flesh trade got good families and
grooms for marriages.
When governments have
failed in rehabilitation of the sex workers even after spending millions of
rupees every year, these efforts of Dr.Girish Kulkarni show the way how to
efficiently eradicate the social evil and change the mindset of people.
Snehalaya runs
“Snehadhar”, a 24*7 help line for all types of women in distress. The helpline
no. is 09011363600)
Via:Organiser,
September 22,2013.
Tulsi Bead Production Gets a Technical lift from IIT
A Technical design
intervention by the Rural Technology center of Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) Delhi has helped about 2000 rural women in Bharatpur district of
Rajasthan engaged in fabrication of tulsi malas, boost their production and
earn a better livelihood by introducing advanced machinery.
Women could fabricate
30 to 40 tulsi malas with the old machines and make a profit between
Rs.60-Rs.80 per day. They were facing problems of low production and physical
pain while working on these machines.
Sita Ram Gupta,
executes director of the Lupin Foundation who collaborated with IIT, points out
that the new machines are capable of enhancing the production of Tulsi malas
four-fold and provide a comfortable posture for operating them. With each machine,
women are now able to prepare beads for 200 to 250 malas everyday and fabricate
the final product into different designs.
Tuesday 17 September 2013
LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP – UNDER NATIONAL TRUST ACT
LEGAL
GUARDIANSHIP – UNDER NATIONAL TRUST ACT.
Persons
with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retraction and multiple disabilities are in
a special situation as even after they have acquired 18 years of age, they are
not always capable of managing their own lives or taking legal decisions for
their own betterment. Therefore, they require someone to represent their
interests in the legal areas throughout their lives. However in cases of
cerebral palsy and multiple disability, there may be a need for only limited
guardianship because of the availability of enabling mechanisms and/or
scientific facilitations which enable
such persons to function with varying degrees of independence.
Why
is Legal Guardian Necessary for Person with Disability?
1. For Loans and Concessions, special schemes meant for persons with
disability. Their legal guardians can effectively represent them in these matters
.i.e. National Handicapped Finance Development Corporation is running various
income-generation schemes for the benefit of such persons, Legal guardians can
represent on their behalf.
2. For Managing Investments like landed property etc. The National Trust
Act, the parents can get themselves appointed as legal guardians and deal with
the property in their son’s name after he has attained 18 years of age. The
property can continue to remain in the name of the son with disability .
3. For opening and operating Bank Accounts/Banking transaction/Post office
A/cs etc. Banks do not allow the guardian of a minor to operate the a/c once
the minor attained majority. Legal guardianship obtained under National Trust
Act will enable the child with disability to have valid representation before
the Bank even after he has attained 18 years of age.
Who
Can Apply for Appointment of Legal Guardian?
a) The natural parents
b) If the parents are not alive or have been imprisoned or incapable of
discharging the duties of a legal guardian or are themselves dependant on
others, the application can be moved before the committee by siblings jointly..
If one sibling out of many is applying, No objection from other siblings will
be procured. with the reason why other siblings are not submitting jointly.
Siblings include stepbrothers and stepsisters also.
c) In the absence of above two any
relative can apply. The relation should be by blood, adoption or
marriage.
d) In the absence of above three, any voluntary organization working in the
area of the disabilities covered by the National Trust Act, 1999 and registered
with the National Trust under section 12 of the said act may apply for the
guardianship. In such cases it is also open to an LocalLevelCommitee to ask a
voluntary organization to apply for the legal guardianship of such person.
The
process of applying for Legal Guardianship has been made much simpler . For
applying one has to just fill a simple form and submit. If he follows this
procedure, the matter will automatically be referred to the concerned Local
Level Committee for its action.
Any
applicant can visit our website www.thenationaltrust.in , click on the MIS log in, an MIS window will appear. On the menu bar
click on to Guardianship and apply for
Guardianship (Application Form-A is at Anexure-1)
Benefits
: Anyone can judge the genuineness of the certificates if the Legal Guardian
applies for any Loans, grants, concessions, pension in the name of Person with Disability.
Even a check on the misuse of certificate can be ensured as anyone can check
online and if the certificate is found invalid reject his grant or loan
application out rightly.
A depository is therefore created
where each and every record of the Certificates issued so far with complete
details are available.
Local
Level Committees are formed at District Level and are headed by officer of the
rank of Distt.Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner of a district. LLCs meet once
in three months, The committee will receive application for appointment of
guardians and consider and appoint guardians . The LLC is not a court of law
but it has to discharge quasi-judicial functions which implies that the
Committee will consider and dispose issues of guardianship with proper
application of mind and after following principles of natural justice.
The
application can be made online
Form of application to
Local Level Committee by a parent, relative or a registered organization for
appointment of guardian for person with Disability for protection of his
person/property.
Application
for Legal Guardianship
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