INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAY

International Migrants Day is observed on December 18. It was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations in the year 2000, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world.

It is seen firstly as an opportunity to recognize the contributions made by millions of migrants to the economies of their host and home countries, and secondly, to promote respect for their basic human rights. It is observed in many countries through the dissemination of information on human rights and fundamental political freedom of migrants, and through sharing of experiences and designing actions to ensure their protection.

In India, there are 309 million people constantly on the move in search of sources of work. Despite making up 30% of the total population in the country, migrant workers are excluded from economic, cultural, social and political life, and are often treated as second-class citizens.

The limitations faced by migrant workers are many: lack of political representation, inadequate housing, low wages, unsafe or dangerous work, limited access to health services and education, and discrimination. Deprived of legal identification and residence, they cannot claim social protection rights and are excluded from government programs.

Children are the most vulnerable and unrecognized group among migrant populations. Children migrate independently or go along with their families. They often cannot exercise their basic rights, do not attend school, suffer health and safety risks, and are deprived of the critical inputs necessary for their physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing, all of which has a devastating impact on their overall development.

These children’s right to education (within the framework of the Right to Education Act) is constantly threatened because their frequent displacements hinder continuity in their education. In addition, migrant children are forced to join the labor force at a very early age. The wages they can earn are minimal or nonexistent, since in spite of working long hours, they do so as unregistered and invisible employees.

In Pune, the city where Asha-Kiran unfolds its work, there are many construction sites that attract migrant workers. Once hired, they raise their shacks within the construction sites, but since both parents work, children are not looked after during the work day.

In order to provide the care they need and counteract, at the same time, the many obstacles they face in their development, Asha-Kiran establishes links with construction companies. The companies provide the physical space where children can be safe during the day, and Asha-Kiran provides the teachers, non-formal education, medical and dental care, nourishment and age-appropriate activities. Thus, our Day Centers for Migrant Children project addresses some of their limitations and works to provide better present and future living conditions for them.

Sources: wikipedia.org
              unicef.org

SACHAHARI SUPPORT GROUP

Through our work with the community, we formed a support group called Sahachari. It is made up of fifteen women who are married to men suffering from addictions to substances such as alcohol or drugs.  

When a home is burdened by someone's addiction, it becomes especially embarrassing for the woman in the house. She tends to hide her feelings, but all these emotions build up, like steam in a pressure cooker waiting to be released. So when these women come together, they talk openly and their shyness disappears.

They realize that they are all in the 'same boat'. They don't feel lonely anymore. Nobody talks about addictions. Instead, they talk about maintaining their own well-being! Given the current situation of the slum, women cannot cure or control addictions, but addictions affect family life, they cause stress, and women cannot concentrate on their work. The Sahachari group has been created to motivate women to think rationally and positively.

The Sahachari group (also for the mothers of addicts) believes that once they accept their predicament, they can prepare themselves to help the addict in his recovery. They also believe that while helping the addict, they should also look at their own irrational behaviour and make efforts to change themselves.

The group meets twice a month and the meetings include sharing, discussions, guidance from a guest speaker and individual counselling. Very importantly, we all maintain the principle of confidentiality, so the group feels that this is the platform where “we can freely share our problems, our lives”.

ON THE BACK BURNER: THE LAW AGAINST CHILD LABOR

In August 2012, the government of India proposed an extension to the prohibition of child labor for minors under 14, in an effort to redirect more young towards conventional education, and thus address an issue that has tarnished the country’s image as an emerging economic powerhouse. The proposed amendment to the existing laws would impose a three-year jail term and a fine of €690 to anyone who employs children under 14, or use children under 18 in hazardous industries.

If approved by Parliament, the amendment would be the end, at least in theory, of many years of official tolerance to the use of minors in the workforce. Child rights activists, as well as the International Labor Organization, welcomed the initiative as a milestone in the debate on child labor, but admitted that its implementation would be a huge challenge. A 2009 survey by the Ministry of Statistics put the number of child laborers at 5 million.

The latest initiative against child labor includes provisions for the law not to affect the poorest families, ensuring the right to free education and offering scholarships to offset economic losses to families. In addition, under the new law, police would no longer need a court order to act.

However, the Parliament of India is about to end the year without passing the most ambitious child labor law in its history. Despite having the backing of most MPs, the amendment has been put in the back burner since is not regarded as a “priority”.

Some say the problem is not the laws, but their lack of enforcement. This view is supported by the fact that under current weak legislation, only 10% of 450,000 complaints were processed in the past three years. Although most Indian MPs claim to support the law, they do not feel the urgency to vote on it. But with each passing day, more children are doomed to become little semi-slaves instead of enjoying a childhood that will support their development through play and enjoyment. 

Sources: washingtonpost.com

             avaaz.org 

THE MOST AFFECTED

Financial support from the UK to India (about €276m per year) will be virtually eliminated by 2015. In this regard, India’s Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid, said “Aid is the past and trade is the future”, but charities warn that the poorest will suffer the consequences.

The announcement of the cessation of economic aid does not come as a surprise to the government of India, which holds that, while it welcomes financial support of countries that choose to offer it, it will never actively seek it. Although the measure can be seen as a recognition of India's economic transformation, much of the money that the UK has provided so far has gone to fund projects in the most needy social sectors, which gives grounds to the fear that these will be negatively affected when said projects are stopped due to a dearth of funds.

Save the Children believes that the decision is “premature”. “Despite impressive economic progress in India, 1.6 million children died there last year” according Kitty Arie, their advocacy director, who added “We agree that in the long term, aid should be phased out as the country continues to develop, but we believe that the poorest children will need our ongoing help”.

With a similar vision, Keith Vaz, former president of the Indian-British parliamentary group, said “Although undoubtedly India has progressed in the last 20 years, there are still an estimated 360 million people living on less than €0.42 a day. By removing our aid to India, which will clearly only affect the most vulnerable, we need to see the plan of the Minister for how she will work with other organizations to ensure the gaps we are creating gaps will be filled”.

In light of this new panorama and the detrimental effects that will ensue, the need for other sources of support is unquestionable. The work of NGO’s, particularly those of local character and focused scope, will become more important than ever as they face new, bigger challenges in order to fill the gaps. In keeping with its vocation, Asha-Kiran will continue to bring present and future development opportunities to disadvantaged populations by relying on, and being the instrument of, the sponsors and donors who wish to build a better world for vulnerable children, their families and communities.

Source: BBC News

ALL IS NOT GOLD THAT GLITTERS

Even though the principle of microcredit is basically sound, and in spite of there being institutions that manage them wisely, in India, some people’s ambition took a toll of 60 lives in Andhra Pradesh this year. In the districts of Krishna, East Godavari, Guntur and Prakasam, suicides may exceed 200. However, the wave of suicides went largely unnoticed in the media.

The crisis in Andhra Pradesh is just the tip of the iceberg. As the microcredit movement spreads across the country, the risk of suicides related to micro-credit is a possibility to consider. The time bomb has been set. Unless the government evaluates the seriousness of the situation and applies strict measures, poor rural households will remain at the mercy of these ‘new’ lenders.

The microfinance institutions in question (MFI) have been accused of exploiting low income people with usurious interest rates and of intimidating borrowers with ‘forced loan recovery practices’. A worried Chief Minister said: “MFIs have proved worse than conventional lenders by charging interest rates above 20%”.

Until recently, microcredit had been sponsored by both government and donors in Andhra Pradesh. Over 5.5 million women have been engaged in the microcredit movement, so the objective of eradicating poverty did not seem too far. Reality has been very different, since it seems that microcredit can be designed to maintain a low level of savings so that the credit cycle can continue.

Charging a prime interest rate of around 11%, the provision of financial services to SHGs is impractical for most commercial banks, so that, by default, MFIs have gained a client base of over 200 million rural households. Clearly, when it comes to economics, MFIs have an eye on their interests. Poverty is a good deal. Otherwise, how could these MFIs charge such interest rates knowing that no business can generate enough profit to pay them? It seems that the strategy is to keep the vulnerable in perpetual cycles of debt-credit-debt.

The crucial question is: was not the government aware of the modus operandi of MFIs? Is it not it an open secret that micro-credit institutions charge rates above 20%? Has the incidence of harassment to both rural and urban borrowers not increased? After having participated in the creation of self-help groups and having promoted micro-finance institutions, the government cannot ignore its responsibility in this mess.

It comes as a surprise to many that although micro-financing institutions were launched as a way to free the poor from the clutches of traditional lenders, some MFIs have gone far ahead of their predecessors at the practice of exploiting those whom they purportedly seek to help.

Source: infochangeindia

TEACHERS' TRAINING

Training always helps to bring about positive changes and improve current skills in any profession. The teachers from Yashodhara Shelter and the Day Care Centers for Laborers’ Children have already gone through a lot of training, some of which has been conducted in the premises and some at other locations.

We planned new training for teaching- as well as non-teaching staff who are equally involved in the children’s educational progress. The subjects covered in the training are related to education and the process of education, understanding of child psychology, and coping with life situations. The objective is to promote positive changes and improve skills in the education field, upgrade teachers’ knowledge about social issues related to children, introduce innovative teaching methods, and improve the school atmosphere so that children won’t be uncomfortable in the classroom.

Keeping all these aspects in mind, we designed a specific curriculum for these two-day training program, which eight teachers of the Day Care Centers and one social worker attended.

The first day, we focused on the social issue of corporal punishment. In this regard, we covered the need to develop healthy discipline policies and practices in schools through a participatory approach, various situational interventions to stop corporal punishments whenever required, and build awareness about corporal punishment through posters, pamphlets, exhibitions.

On the second day, we covered the national and state Curriculum Framework of Education, constructivism, continuous comprehensive evaluation, stress management among students, discipline, co-operative learning and creative teaching. The stages in all the sessions were self-introduction, key-note address, orientation lectures, group discussion, sharing session, question and answer session, and individual and group assignments. All the teachers enjoyed the training and found the sessions very useful.

COMMUNITY CENTERS PROJECT

During the 2008-2010 period, the Day Care Centers project in Hadapsar community involved activities specifically designed for children under 14. Thus, the Centers became the safe and protective environment street children need to live childhood experiences that provide the necessary resources and encouragement to become part of society as autonomous and capable individuals.

Given the excellent results of the project, our new goal was to turn the Day Care Centers into Community Centers that would meet the demands of community development as a whole. The increasingly alarming finding that the wellbeing of children can never be complete if work is not also carried out with the rest of the community has led us to expand our range of activities to support parents and the community as well, so that their conditions of extreme poverty and exclusion can be addressed.

Without neglecting direct care to children through tutoring and education campaigns, the new direction of the project will allow us to go from 80 beneficiaries (the children who attended the Day Care Centers) to a total of 2000 people, including the children, teens and adults in Hadapsar  community.

MEN ALSO NEED TO BE LIBERATED

Efforts to tackle gender-based violence against women In India have hitherto concentrated on empowering women to assert themselves. But this one-sided approach insulates men from the process of transformation and does not offer a way out of the patriarchal mould. Men’s violence and aggressiveness are often due to these cultural modes, as images of masculinity are linked to the notion that men with ‘power’ are ‘real men’.

There is a tacit acceptance of gender violence, even from women, in all spheres of Indian society. Two years ago, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) highlighted the finding that 55% of women did not consider it wrong to be beat by the men in their homes, and 51% of men felt that they had a right to beat the women. 

There have been few sustained efforts at changing attitudes related to masculinity. Dominant forms of masculinity in men must be challenged at a young age. There is a woeful dearth of safe platforms for men to talk about problems that give rise to violent behavior, including those relating to sexuality. Gender-positive male role models are also needed.

A project launched by MAVA (Men against Violence and Abuse) provides safe, non-threatening platforms to young men so they can open up, communicate, share their fears, thoughts, dilemmas and concerns, and come into contact with new ideas about men and masculinity. While collectively addressing gender issues, the project promotes alternative models of masculinity that are gender-equitable.

 ‘Opening up’ in men is much more complex than in women. Men often do not have any experience, confidence, or even vocabulary to describe their innermost feelings. By involving a pool of experienced men who are willing to share personal insights with the young men in MAVA’s project, this process of ‘opening up’ is encouraged. This includes a yearly magazine featuring firsthand experiences of men communicating their anxieties, vulnerabilities and other issues related to masculinity. Nevertheless, it takes guts to renounce patriarchal privileges and step down from a dominant position.

In many schools, gender education has been introduced as a value that needs to be instilled. However, there is lack of effective teacher training on the subject and a lack of child-friendly methods. Moreover, politicians have been stalling efforts to provide integrated sexuality education in schools. 

Men are seen as part of the problem, but unless they are seen as part of the solution, there will be no significant change in the status of women. Men, too, need to be ‘liberated’ from the shackles of patriarchy. It calls for a paradigm shift in viewing the ‘women’s issue’ as a ‘gender issue’ by all concerned.

Source: infochangeindia

FOOD AND NUTRITION PROGRAM

The Food and Nutrition Program is designed to link the government's Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and Asha-Kiran Shelters Foundation, as the ICDS does not cover the dwellers of the area where we work. Thus, our project plays an important role in supporting ICDS strategies by reaching beneficiaries more effectively and providing inputs to parents for their children to develop emotionally, physically and socially.

The objectives behind this activity are as follows: creating nutrition awareness among the people, particularly women and adolescent girls; providing information about achieving adequate nutrition within available means; explaining the importance of non-food factors like hygiene, sanitation, safe drinking water etc., and giving information about existing health, nutrition and welfare services for their best utilization.

Approximately 20 mothers attend the monthly meetings of the Food and Nutrition Program. The activities in each session include showing how to prepare low-cost and nutritious recipes with available foodstuffs, discussing the importance of growth, monitoring and child nutrition, using the new WHO Growth Standards, and organizing of mini exhibitions at the district level, nutritional quiz competitions, a nutrition rally, puppet shows, street plays, etc.

The activity revolves around the following topics:

. The functional significance of malnutrition
. Basic facts about food, nutrition, and improving diet at a low cost
. Nutritional needs of different age groups
. Nutrition of pregnant women and nursing mothers
. Promotion of breast feeding
. Infant feeding
. Preparation of instant infant foods ans supplementary foods
. Nutrition of pre-schoolers, school children and adolescents
. Home treatments for diarrohoea
. The importance of immunizations
. Principles of hygiene and sanitation

SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN

According to the World Health Organisation, child sexual abuse means “involving a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or violates the laws or social taboos of society”.

Sexual abuse of children gained public interest after publication of the report by the Women and Child Development Department entitled ‘Study on Child Abuse India 2007’. The report estimated that “more than 53% of children in India have probably been sexually abused and many have never shared the fact of this abuse with anyone”. Also, recent child sexual abuse cases in India have pointed to the need for stringent legislation and action on this poignant issue.  

The report says, “One of the major problems in understanding the scope of the subject of 'child abuse' is that it is extremely difficult to get responses from children on such a sensitive subject because of their inability to fully understand the different dimensions of child abuse and to talk about their experiences. It is therefore difficult to gather data on abused children.”  Child rights activists, on the other hand, argue that the problem may be the lack of skills on the part of the questioners to create the environment and the trust needed for the child to share his/her experiences.

Sexual offences against children can and are committed in situations such as marriage, trafficking, employment, and many more. It is important to understand the circumstances that allow and may even be a reason for this abuse. In slums, for example, many families make their female children marry young as a protection against sexual abuse. For some parents, marriage this is the only way to ensure that the girl is ‘unavailable’.

Abuse may also be condoned because of financial considerations. Among the Naths of Bihar, prostitution is commonplace. When a family doesn’t have a daughter, girls are purchased from other parts of the state and pushed into sex work so that the family can live off their earnings. Also, children who work as domestic labour, or in hotels and restaurants, are susceptible to sexual abuse at the hands of employers and customers. In addition, children across caste and class lines are vulnerable to abuse from relatives and friends of the family.

Jenny Kitzinger (Defending Innocence: Ideologies of Childhood) says that “...the notion of children’s innate vulnerability... is an ideology of control which diverts attention away from the socially constructed oppression of children...”. She suggests that we replace notions of ‘vulnerability’ with ‘oppression’ and ‘protection’ with ‘empowerment’. She also denounces the practice of telling a child that s/he “can say ‘no’”. In her opinion, this gives the child a sense that s/he can resist a power that, in reality, s/he probably cannot.

Abusers know that children are less likely than adults to speak about the incident/s; that even if they do, few will believe them; that even if they are believed, community members will probably not do much about it, and that even if some action is taken there are loopholes in court processes that can be availed of.

The draft of the Prevention of Sexual Offences Against Children Bill 2011 delineates various kinds of sexual abuse and the prescribed response to each under the law. In the final section of the Bill, there is a detailed section that lists responsibilities of various duty-bearers to the child - police officers, child support services, medical officers and case workers. It also lists the protocol to be followed during court processes and by police and medical practitioners. It should be taken into account, however, that the bill might be difficult to implement in smaller towns and villages, where basic judicial processes are flawed.

Despite this concern as to making the Bill operative, almost all stakeholders accept that current legislation is insufficient to deal with all forms of sexual abuse on children. They also acknowledge that social workers, superintendents of residential homes, wardens, counsellors, teachers and family members all need training and becoming sensitized to the issue, and that a minimum set of actions must be put in place so people are able to help a child who is being sexually exploited. It is only by developing better ways of hearing children and giving them proper support, that effective mechanisms can be created to address their exploitation.

  

Source: infochangeindia

HEARTS OF GOLD

The end of the school year came around and so did the memory of many shared experiences with my 7^th grade students: the cards sent to the children from Yashodhara, Asha-Kiran’s Shelter in India, Uttam and Hansa’s picture (the founders of Asha-Kiran) receiving the envelope containing the cards, the picture of Hansa and Asha-Kiran’s children published in the blog, Yashodhara children writing back on cards made by them with care, the excitement of my students before Uttam’s visit to our high school (which finally could not take place), the big surprise Uttam and his son Uilhas gave them by holding a videoconference, their conversations with me, their questions about my sponsored child Ravi, exams, nervousness. In my heart I felt a pang of pain for not being able to go on teaching my students from IES Celia Viñas.

Three days before the end of the course, my 7^th grade students told me, “Ma’am, tomorrow we’ll have a surprise for you”, and I said: “And I will wear a sari” (I knew how excited they were about seeing me in one).

Their surprise made ​​me cry, I got the best thank-you and end-of-school year gift they could have given me: two envelopes with letters and money for the children of Asha-Kiran. They had agreed to bring their own pocket money and, after counting it, it added up to 46€. Four students came with me to the bank to transfer the money to Fundación Asha-Kiran. They had also made bookmarks ​​on the occasion of Peace Day (with messages in Hindi, Marathi, Moroccan, Spanish, English and French), and a group photo with their signatures for the children of Yashodhara.

In their letters, their love for Asha-Kiran and the children was evident - messages from their sincere, loving, noble, caring hearts; "hearts of gold" for me too (IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO CRY).

I thanked them for their surprise present and for their moving words. I truly felt that in the past nine months they had grasped and learned more than the English I had taught them. I was surprised because when they chose the “perfect gift” for me, they showed a deep knowledge of my heart and feelings, which is not so easy to do nowadays. And, wearing my sari, I told them that since I had been in India, I felt my heart was torn up between Spain and India. They had undoubtedly sensed something of the sort.

The next day, I reciprocated with a small tasting of flavors from India. I brought papadums (Indian pancakes) with mango chutney and raita sauce. I taught them how to make lassi (an Indian drink made with yoghurt), and we tried to learn Bollywood steps. Our last day of school and course farewell party was undoubtedly devoted to INDIA.

The day school marks were handed out, each student received a DVD that I had made with photos of all the above events and the audio version of the videoconference with Uttam and Uilhas.

 

Thanks to my dear Hearts of Gold for remembering the hearts at YASHODHARA.

I also wish to thank my colleagues for their work and enthusiasm for my dear A-K, for their contribution, for brainstorming future possible fundraising activities, for purchasing Indian items at our bazaar, not only for themselves, but as gifts for Xmas and other occasions. Thank you for being available and for your generosity. Many grains of sand can make up a sizeable hill.

A new school year is about to begin. I would love to write a lot of articles like this one - articles featuring actions of solidarity from students and teachers.

I also wish to encourage many teachers who, upon reading this article, may carry out awareness-raising activities in their schools and commit to working for an NGO like Asha-Kiran. As a teacher, I can say that all of the activities undertaken in the past years at different schools (such as HUELÍN HIGH SCHOOL in MÁLAGA, “the pioneering one”, the Solidarity Bazaar at ULYSSEA HIGH SCHOOL in UGIJAR-GRANADA, and the activities of the students at CELIA VIÑAS HIGH SCHOOL in ALMERÍA) have been unforgettable experiences for my students and myself.

All of these activities have been invaluable, such as the one my dear students from 7^th grade (or “Hearts of Gold”, as I call them) played the leading role in, because the donation and the activity was done of their own accord. As a teacher and collaborator at Asha-Kiran, I appreciate all the support the Foundation gave to my initiatives, i.e., the videoconference with Uttam, who managed to set some time aside in his schedule to be with my students, and the readiness of Hansa and the whole team to make it possible for values of solidarity to reach young people.

Thanks to ASHA-KIRAN because its work awakens and invites us to LIVE FROM ESSENCE.

 

Mª Ángeles Arráez - Collaborator at Asha-Kiran