August 21, 2012

Maha shame: Maharashtra tops in child murders

Times of India 

MUMBAI: Maharashtra tops the list of places most dangerous for children under 10 years of age to live in, as it has the highest number of murder victims in this age group. And when the age bar is raised to 18 years, the state slips a tad to second spot, just behind Uttar Pradesh. So, it comes as no surprise that of the top seven cities in the country having the worst crime record on children, three from the state—Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur—figure in that list.

The National Crime Records Bureau data between 2006 and 2011 show that Maharashtra with murders of 461 boys and 430 girls under 10 years of age is far ahead of states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. As for the total number of children up to the age of 18 killed, Maharashtra has seen 757 boys and 639 girls murdered, taking the toll to 1,396 deaths in six years.

Most of the deaths have been caused by either sexual abuse or crime committed for money . There are instances of domestic violence also that have claimed the lives of children, experts said. "Most of the sexual abuse cases that come to light are from the lower class of society. Such cases happen in the upper class too but few get reported or noticed," said Bina Seth Laskshri, a member of the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

MOST CASES ARE OF SEXUAL ABUSE, SAY EXPERTS

The main reasons behind child murders have been sexual abuse, kidnapping for ransom and domestic violence , while others like illegitimate pregnancy and neglect of girl child are also factors for the deaths.

 

Arpan wins India NGO National Award 2011

August 17, 2012

Arpan won the India NGO National Award 2011 in the 'small' category (budget under Rs.5 cr.) for doing exemplary work in the NGO sector by way of professional management, innovation in local resource mobilization and the effectiveness of the organization's activities in improving the lives of the people it serves. These awards are given by The Resource Alliance, UK and The Rockefeller Foundation, US after months of scrutiny, field assessment and then the final jury panel.

Out of 180 applicants from across the country we got selected as one of the top 12 regional winners and then on August 17, at a function in New Delhi we were announced as the National winners in the 'small' category. Honourable Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ms. Ambika Soni gave the national awards at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.

Arpan is currently working in Mumbai, with a child centric model of intervention in the area of child sexual abuse with a balanced emphasis on prevention and healing components. 

Arpan empowers children, teachers, parents, NGO professionals and other care givers in multiple setting like schools, NGO set ups, institutions etc. with knowledge, skills and attitude to prevent instances of child sexual abuse and provide adequate support to children who have been victims. Along with empowering relevant stakeholders, Arpan also offers psychotherapeutic support through trained, qualified therapists to children and adult survivors of sexual abuse and their families.