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पानी और तीसरा युद्ध ?

मुझे पानी चाहिए, मुझे पानी चाहिए , मुझे पानी चाहिए
अगर आपके घर में पानी है तो मुझे पिने के लिए पानी चाहिए |

लेकिन हालात बहुत नाजुक होंगे जब किसी के पास पिने लायक भी पानी नहीं होंगा कल मेवात के हर घर में पानी था कही नलकूप लगाओ हर जगह पानी था आज नहीं है उसके बाद मेवातियो के अरावली की पहाड़ी और दूसरी जगह से आ रहा पानी पिया वो भी अब नहीं रहा समय के अनुसार सब बदल रहा है और अब आप सब जानते है की मेवात में हर जगह पानी की किल्लत है एक समय था जब आप अपने गाँव के डेहर में मछली पकड़ने जाते थे जब आपके गाँव में कुआ था और सभी वहा नहाने जाते थे आज मेवात के कुआओ में भी पानी नहीं है तलब के हालात भी ठीक नहीं है आखिर क्यों क्या हमने कभी सोचा की ये क्या क्यों हो रहा है ऐसा
आज के हालात ये है की हमें पिने के पानी के लिए रेनिवाल पर निर्भर होना पड़ रहा है आज के समय में रेनिवाल को अगर मेवात की दूध की नहर माना जाये तो ठीक ही होगा क्योकि और कोई साधन नहीं है जिससे उम्मीद लगाई जा सके | हरयाणा सरकार और भारत सरकार से मेवात को बहुत सी उम्मीद भी है जैसे की मेवात में मेवात केनाल हो कोटला झील को अच्छे से कम से कम 1000 एकड़ में बनाया जाये ताकि मेवात के हर घर को पानी मिल सके और किसान की किसानी सही से हो सके कही ने खेती के लिए पानी ने कही पिने के लिए पानी कैसा है मेवात हमेशा दुःख की ज़िदगी जीता रहा है |
एक समय था 2005 का जब मेवात को 425 करोड़ का प्रोजेक्ट मिला जिससे पुरे मेवात को पानी दिया जाना चाहिए था ये प्रोजेक्ट पुरे जिले मेवात के लिए था जिसमे तावडू ,नुह ,झिरका,पुनहाना ,नगीना , पिनंग्वा भी था इस प्रोजेक्ट का फायेदा किस किस खंड में मिला ये आप सब जानते है और जहा जहा इसका पानी पहुचता है वहा भी पानी सही से सही समय पर नहीं पहुच रहा है आज के समय के हिसाब से देखा जाये तो ये प्रोजेक्ट पुरे मेवात में पूरा हो जाना चाहिए था लेकिन ने कही लाइन बिछी ने कही सही से पानी पहुंचा ये है रेनिवाल प्रोजेक्ट मेवात हालात आप सब जानते है |
संघठन इस एरिया में क्या क्या कर रहे है |

रेडियो मेवात 1 सितम्बर 2010 से अपने प्रोग्राम खेत खलियान की बात के माध्यम से किसान भाईओ और सभी श्रोताओ को जागरूक कर रहा है इसके लिए समय समय पर गाँव में जाकर वर्कशॉपो का आयोजन भी किया जा रहा है और बहुत से कार्यक्रम के माध्यम से समुदाय को जागरूक किया जा रहा है जिसके बारे में मेवात के लगभग सभी लोग जानते है रेडियो मेवात के बारे में अक्सर गाँव वासी करते है की ये जानकारी का एक अच्छा साधन है जो हमेशा चलते रहना चाहिए समय समय पर अलग अलग विभागों के बारे में जानकारी देते रहते है कहने का मतलब ये है की ऐसा कोई विभाग नहीं है जिसके बारे में रेडियो मेवात की टीम अपने प्रोग्राम के माध्यम से न बताती हो हर विभाग के बारे में किसी ने किसी प्रोग्राम में जानकारी डी जाती है रेडियो मेवात की डायरेक्टर अर्चना कपूर ये चहाती है की मेवात के हर नागरिक को सशक्त करना है सभी विभागों की जानकारी हर आदमी के पास जानी चाहिए और पूर्ण जानकारी रेडियो पर दी जानी चाहिए सभी के अधिकारों के बारे में हमें बताना है यही हमारा उदेश्य है |
ऊर्जा एवं संसाधन संस्थान (टेरी) एवं जल संसाधन मंत्रालय द्वारा इंडिया हैबिटैट सेन्टर, दिल्ली में आयोजित भारतीय जल गोष्ठी के उद्घाटन भाषण में उपराष्ट्रपति हामिद अंसारी ने कहा था की 'बढ़ती जनसंख्या और जलवायु परिवर्तन के चलते जल-प्रबंधन के क्षेत्र में नई चुनौतियां सामने हैं, जिनका मुकाबला प्राथमिकता के आधार पर होना चाहिए, इन स्थितियों को देखते हुए आज हमें जल संसाधनों में व्यापक सुधार की जरुरत है।' ओट्टावा में कनेडियन वाटर नेटवर्क (सीडब्लूएन) द्वारा आयोजित अंतरराष्ट्रीय बैठक में वैज्ञानिकों ने चेतावनी दी है कि ग्लोबल वार्मिंग और बढ़ती जनसंख्या के कारण आगामी 20 सालों में पानी की मांग उपलब्धता 40 प्रतिशत ज्यादा होगी । मतलब यह कि 10 में से 4 ही लोगों के लिए पानी होगा। अगले दो दशकों में दुनिया की एक तिहाई आबादी को अपनी मूल जरूरतों को पूरा करने के लिए भी जरूरी जल का सिर्फ आधा हिस्सा ही मिल पाएगा। सबसे ज्यादा आफत तो कृषि क्षेत्र पर आएगी, जिस पर कुल आपूर्ति का 71 फीसदी जल खर्च होता है, इससे दुनियाभर के खाद्य उत्पादन पर जबरदस्त असर पडग़ा ।
वैसे तो पानी की समस्या सारे विश्व के सामने है लेकिन हमारे देश में यह कुछ ज्यादा ही विकट है। तिब्बत के पठारों पर मौजूद हिमालयी ग्लेशियर सारे एशिया के करीब 1.5 अरब से अधिक लोगों को मीठा जल मुहैया कराते हैं । इनसे भारत, अफगानिस्तान, पाकिस्तान, बांग्लादेश और नेपाल की नौ नदियों में पानी की आपूर्ति होती है, जिनमें गंगा और ब्राह्मपुत्र भी शामिल हैं । लेकिन जलवायु परिवर्तन व ब्लैक कार्बन जैसे प्रदूषक तत्वों ने हिमालय के कई ग्लेशियरों से बर्फ की मात्रा घटा दी है । माना जा रहा है कि इनमें से कुछ तो इस सदी के अंत ही तक खत्म हो जाएंगे। इन तेजी से पिघलते ग्लेशियरों से समुद्र का जलस्तर भी बढ़ जाएगा जिससे तटीय इलाकों के डूबने का खतरा भी है ।
      अब एक नजर इस सिक्के के दूसरे पहलू पर भी डाल लेते हैं |

 बिना इस सच्चाई से मुहं मोड़े कि पानी के बिना इस दुनिया की कल्पना करना भी नामुकिन है , कुछ अहम सवाल है जिनके जवाब जानने बाकी हैं, जैसे कि हमारे वैज्ञानिक लगातार कह रहे हैं कि हिमालयी ग्लेशियर पिघल रहे हैं। अगर ये ग्लेशियर पिघल रहे हैं तो नदियों और नहरों का जल स्तर क्यों नहीं बढ़ रहा ? कहा जाता है कि कुल स्वच्छ पानी का सत्तर प्रतिशत खेती के काम आता है । सवाल है कि देश में खेती योग्य जमीन लगातार घट रही है, वहां जो पानी लगता था वह कहां गया ? मान लिया कि उस अनुपात में आबादी बढ़ गई, पर क्या आबादी खेती जितना पानी इस्तेमाल कर सकती है ?  हरित क्रांति के बाद दुनिया भर के वैज्ञानिक लगातार ऐसे बीज तैयार करने में जुटे हैं जो कम समय और कम पानी में ज्यादा फसल दे सकें। उनका यह प्रयास बहुत हद तक कामयाब भी रहा है, जिसका एक प्रमाण गेहूं के नए बीज हैं जो 90 से 100 दिन और मात्र दो ही पानी में पक जाते हैं।
एक और सच्चाई यह भी कि पृथ्वी का पानी किसी भी सूरत में यहां से बाहर नहीं जा सकता। हमारा 97 प्रतिशत पानी जो पीने योग्य नहीं है, लेकिन कमाल की बात ये है की जब ये पानी गर्मी के कारन असमान में चला जाता है तो बाद में ये पानी बरसात के कारन वापिस जमीन पर आता है तो ये तुरंत ही रूप धारण करके मीठा पानी का रूप धारण कर लेता है लेकिन समुन्द्र का पानी खारी होता है इसी लिए कहा जाता है की समुन्द्र का पानी पिने के योग्य नहीं होगा है | पानी का सबसे बड़ा हिस्सा समुन्द्र हैं । इसी समुन्द्र से गर्मी की वजह से बरसात होती है। बरसात से खेती सदियों से होती आ रही है और हमारी जमीन भी दुबारा पानी से भर जाती है, जिससे कुओं में पानी आता है। हमारी बरसाती नदियां, तलाब, बावडियां, पोखर सब बरसात से ही भरते हैं।
पहाड़ी क्षेत्रों में बरसात, ठडें मौसम में बर्फ की सूरत बरसती है, जिससे ग्लेशियर बनते हैं और जिसके पिघलने से साल भर नदियां बहती हैं, नहरें चलती हैं। यानी अगर हम बरसात को सहेजना सीख जाएं तो पानी की समस्या सदा के लिए खत्म हो सकती है। इन तथ्यों पर विचार करने के बाद एक बड़ी अहम शंका उठती है कि- क्या ये वैज्ञानिक दावे झूठे हैं ? यह कैसे संभव है कि दुनिया भर के वैज्ञानिक और पानी की चिन्ता करने वाले एक साथ झूठ बोल रहे हैं ? इसकी एक वजह तो यह समझ आती है कि दुनिया के सभी देशों में पर्याप्त मात्रा में बरसात नहीं होती, इस वजह से वहां का जलस्तर भी काफी गहरा होता है हाल ही में कृषि विभाग के वैज्ञानिक ने बताया की हर साल 3-4 फूट निचे जल सतर निचे जाता है कई कई जिलो के खंडो को डार्क जोन घोषित सरकार के माध्यम से किया जा चूका है लेकिन जहा पानी की भारी समस्या हो वहा क्या किया जाये क्या उसे डार्क जोन नहीं कहा जा सकता है सरकार कभी कभी इस मामले में चुक कर जाती है जिसके पीछे कई बड़े कारन होते है वहा कोई ऐसा प्लांट लगाना हो जो वाटर लेवल को कम कर सके मेवात जैसे एरिया में भी ऐसा ही किया जा रहा है । उन देशों के बारे में दिए गए बयानों को हमने भी अपने लिए मान लिया । इसका यह अर्थ न लिया जाए कि हमारे यहां पानी की किल्लत नहीं है । देश का एक बड़ा क्षेत्र केवल बरसात और कुओं पर ही निर्भर है । जहां पानी है वहां भी सौ तरह के झंझट हैं । उदाहरण के लिए हम बात करते हैं पंजाब, हरियाणा और उत्तरी राजस्थान के उस हिस्से की जो विगत सत्तर-अस्सी सालों से नहरों पर ही निर्भर है । इस क्षेत्र में पानी की तथा-कथित कमी के कारण हैं- इन राज्यों के राजनैतिक झगड़े, भ्रष्टाचार, नहरों की जर्जर हालत और सिंचाई क्षेत्र में वृद्धि ।
ऐसे में, घोषित राष्ट्रीय जल अभियान की सफलता की उम्मीद करना बेमानी है। यह तभी संभव है जब हर व्यक्ति पानी का महत्व समझे । इस दिशा में कार्यरत मंत्रालयों और विभागों को एक-दूसरे को जिम्मेदार ठहराने के बजाय समन्वित तरीके से समस्या के समाधान के लिए प्रयास करना चाहिए । यदि हम कुछ संसाधनों को और विकसित करने में कामयाब हो जाएं तो काफी मात्रा में पानी की बचत हो सकती है।
उदाहरण के लिए यदि औद्योगिक संयंत्रों में अतिरिक्त सावधानी से करीब बीस से पच्चीस प्रतिशत तक पानी की बर्बादी रोकी जा सकती है। बहुत से देशों में इन कारखानों से निकलने वाले गंदे पानी को शोधित कर खेती में इस्तेमाल किया जाता है, लेकिन दुर्भाग्य से हमारे देश में औद्योगिक क्षेत्रों में ही सबसे ज्यादा पानी की बर्बादी होती है। दूसरा वर्षा जल को सहेजने और पुन: भूमि में प्रविष्ट करवाने के लिए घरों, खासतौर पर बड़े-बड़े भवनों और स्कूलों आदि में जल-संग्रहण (वाटर हार्वेस्टिंग) व्यवस्था अनिवार्य हो तो यह जल की बचत में एक अहम कदम होगा । हालांकि इस बारें में कानून है कि सौ वर्गमीटर से बड़े सभी भवनों में जल-संग्रहण प्रणाली लगाना जरूरी है, लेकिन सरकार के जो विभाग इस कानून की पालना के जिम्मेदार हैं, खुद उनके अपने बड़े-बड़े भवनों में यह प्रणाली नदारद है। सार यह है कि बरसात और औद्योगिक इस्तेमाल के पानी को सावधानी से सम्भाल लिया जाए तो कम से कम तीसरा विश्वयुद्ध पानी के लिए तो नहीं लड़ा जाएगा ।
समय समय पर पानी को लेकर बैठके सरकारी विभागों की और एन जी ओ की होती रहती है जो जल संरक्षण के लिए काफी महवपूर्ण है जिसमे बारे में गाँव गाँव शहर शहर जाकर मीटिंग होती है लेकिन परिणाम “धाक के तीन पात” आखिर कारन क्या ?

आलेख 

 -- मो आरिफ टाई,
सहायक प्रबंधक रेडियो मेवात 
media.arif1984@gmail.com 
Water problem
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Assam Flood: Who Cares? : Abdul Kalam Azad

An apprehension is mounting among the people of north-eastern region that the mainstream media is ignoring the flight of its people and has been working like a PR agency of the government to justify the imposition of AFSPA. Recently, it has been observed that the media was flooded with chest-thumping news and views on cross border operation on NE militants in Myanmar. All of sudden one IPS officer is being marketed as ‘face that militants fear’ even with factual errors. However, at the same time a huge portion of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh was witnessing devastating flood. No media was running ‘hastag’ race for the flood victims of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
As per the official release of Assam State Disaster Management Authority dated 13th June 2015, more than six hundred villages were submersed and over three lakh people affected in the recent flood. Though officially not reported, at least three persons have died so far in this devastating flood. This is harvesting season in Assam and the flood has destroyed a huge area of ready to harvest corps, the official figure is 11041.53 hectors.
I was getting disturbing updates from my home district Barpeta since 11th of June, 2015. Subsequently, I communicated with the district administration and got a quit relaxing response “we are monitoring the development and ready to act if any necessity arises” The concerned Circle Officer categorically informed me that the flood situation is still manageable and no need of taking rescue and relief operations. However, I was still getting SOS calls from my native district and finally decided to visit the area next day morning to have stock of the situation. While travelling from Guwahati to Barpeta, as I entered Nalbari district, I could easily see the devastation in the nearby agri-fields. The farmers has abandoned ready to harvest rice cultivation due to flood water. They have occupied half of the road for drying up the partially damaged harvested crops.
Situation in Barpeta district is more depressing; officially it is worst affected district in recent flood. Innas Ali, a marginal farmer who cultivated high yielding rice on his one hector agri-land and invested nearly sixty thousand rupees has been able to harvest only half of his total cultivation. Ali says that one fourth of the harvested crops have been damaged as it germinated due to heavy rain. Since last two/three decades, the peasants have started cultivating high yielding variety of rice replacing traditional one. They have been irrigating their paddy fields by diesel run power-pump machine incurring higher cost comparing to government provided irrigation facility. In lower Assam, irrigation facility is mostly managed by the farmers, which forces them to incur more costs and forces them to knock the door of money lenders for credit to meet the costs. A study conducted by Gorky Chakravarty of Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata revealed that nearly 67% of his respondents in Mandia, Chenga and Ruposhi block of Barpeta district are indebted and only 2.43% of them got credit from organized financial institutions. A huge chunk of people who get their credit from moneylenders often agree to repay crops instead of money. His study says that those ill-fated people are forced to pay an annual rate of interest ranging from 72% to 360%. In such a situation, any one can imagine how this flood is going to affect the lives of people like Innas Ali. 
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A gender based analysis is required

In contemporary times, trafficking of women for commercial sexual exploitation has emerged as one of the crucial issues of global concern. The Indian subcontinent, which is intrinsically connected to the dreadful world of trafficking, is witnessing an indigenous process of trafficking network in the country where women viewed as ‘prospective brides’ are trafficked within and across its borders in the name of ‘marriage’ which actually ends up in sexual slavery and bonded labor for them, not just a single time but as many times as they are re-trafficked as brides. Trafficking today is dealt by different mechanism by the law enforcing body, but in spite of heightened effort, trafficking shows no sign of abating….The question here arises is why???


The answer of the question lies in the question itself. In the cases of bride trafficking a different subtle  modus operandi is adopted which is quite suitable according to the social norm of the society where it is taking place (destination states like Haryana , Punjab and some of the places in western UP).
If we are to fight bride trafficking we need a comprehensive and coordinated approach, globally and locally.  We need a response that creates partnerships to support criminal justice, victim assistance and protection, human rights, migration policy and labour market regulation".
Before preventing it when the crime took place, the correction of root problems lies in the society where we need to apply gender based approach to the issue of human trafficking done under the guise of marriage. A gender based analysis is required to understand the interplay of different forces from social, economic, political, at micro and macro level which make women more vulnerable to being trafficked than men. The other factors such as unequal economic development, mass unemployment, poverty, inequality, discrimination, gender based violence, patriarchal structure of the society are the primary root causes of bride trafficking where the solution lies.
To break all these chain of factors, we need to raise our voice to spread a social awareness amongst the people who need support of all socially responsible people. This patriarchal control over women’s education, employment and various choices need to be challenged. These social norm where crime is not taken as crime is inevitably serious to think upon. Imagine, where female feticide, infanticide, bride trafficking is taken as norm what  must be the thought process of people suffering with. These are intrinsically related factor which is making a fertile ground for sexual  and labour exploitation  of women under the guise of marriage. The veil of marriage where these people are protecting themselves need to be checked. The Victorian principle of free sex(without consent) in the realm of marriage where women has no say must be challenged. We need to criminalize the purchase of women as a commodity who are procured by different names. Concrete criminal justice mechanism is required which includes active participation of all the stakeholders from common man to panchayat, gram sabhas, police, ngos. Self help groups, socially active people, lawyers, judges etc. These problem can never be solved till the time we join our hand and rise against all illogical irrational and incorrect acts going  on around us. The social biasness, the gender discrimination must be challenged, if not that could lead to a social catastrophe with  very ugly consequences. So there is urgent need of participation to raise and stand together against this organized social menace called bride trafficking.          
                
KHUSHBOO ANAND (+khushi anandt) is  PHD RESEARCH SCHOLAR FACULTY OF LAW UNIVERSITY OF DELHI

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AM I COMMODITY TO BE BROUGHT AND SHARED?

What is the purpose of celebrating the victory of independence, when our sisters are  just seen as an item to study the concept of supply and demand. Why are we taught that life is not a monetary product, when on the other hand a daughter is born with a price tag over her. Where is the morality of wise men of India. Where is the philanthropy of saints? 

Bride trafficking presents hypocrisy in front of the era, because you link an alluring institution of our society that is marriage to the barbarous trade. This monstrous business of dumping women into hell occurs between those who auction them, to the ultimate buyers and the story is yet not over, they are also being used as a pleasure giving object by several inter-mediators. Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab are among those who are contributing for the disappointing state of present.  What is the need of giving a woman a title of ‘jagat janani’ when you do not even bother to mean it, if you would have then you would not have called her by the derogatory and absurd names like ‘paro’ and ‘molki’.

We come on roads, we scream, we abuse and turn down the system if any one of our rights gets violated. Then why are we or prefer to keep our lips shut when it comes for raising our voice for someone whose every fundamental rights are denied from her? Where is the potential youth and administration of the highest democratic, plural cultured and sovereign country? A trafficked bride is compelled to work in farms as bonded labors, used by her husband’s relatives to satisfy their wild expectations and the most frustrating part is that they are hardly given the identity of being called as an Indian because their names are nowhere enrolled in the ration cards and voter ID cards. And we still talk of individual’s liberty in the preamble? Why? Why our Indian constitution is running out of laws for securing their rights to enjoy their existence as a self-rule individual who has no price tag, who is not a machine to produce children, who is equally important in making decisions for her entire family if not for the family then at least for her own self.

Time has come to slap those who see us as a mutilated sex. It is not just the fight of those who have survived in this trade but the duty of all of us to stand together and face the problem with a solution.   




@+Deepmala Tiwari is studying in Tata institute of Social Sciences. she tweets at  @DeepmalaTiwari
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Bride trafficking rampant in Dholpur district


ALWAR: The rampant practice of girl trafficking is pulling down an already declining sex ratio in the Dholpur district. In the absence of girls for marriage, residents have now taken to abduction and trading of girls from other states. 

Several cases have been registered by the police in the past two months where girls from states such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Chattisgarh were brought and sold off. 

Rahul Prakash, former superintendent of police in Dholpur said "Due to the skewed sex ratio, there are not enough girls in the district; as a result, men have to look out for brides. Lack of basic infrastructure, no education facilities and a dismal law and order situation prevent parents from getting their girls married in this region. This has forced people to get into the business of human trafficking." 

As per the Census 2011, the district has 845 girls against 1000 boys, a marginal improvement from 827 girls in the 2001 census. 

"There is hardly any girl child left in some specific tribes in the district because of the practice of female feticide. To keep the family tree growing, people sometimes buy or even kidnap girls. Taking advantage of the situation, several gangs have become active in girl trafficking in the past one or two years. Some of these gangs keep the girl with themselves for a few months, rape her and then sell her off," said Abdul Shagir Khan, MLA from Dholpur. 

In the past few years, several notorious dacoits have been killed or surrendered. Those who have survived have now joined in the human trafficking business. "Things have changed a lot in recent years. Many dacoits from ravine have joined the mainstream. Lacking in vocational skills and with a criminal bent of mind, they are now getting involved in trafficking. These gangs are growing and spreading to other areas," said Ramavatar Gujjar, a dacoit who surrendered in 2008. 
bride trafficking in india
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Minor flees clutches of groom



The girl outside the Kaliaganj police station; (above) arrested groom Nabkush Singh. Pictures by Nantu Dey
Raiganj, May 10: A 12-year-old North Dinajpur girl who had been forced to marry an Uttar Pradesh man twice her age by her parents sneaked out of the house on the day she was supposed to be taken to the north Indian state and sought a neighbour’s help.
Police and the district child welfare committee rescued the girl, a resident of Gouripur village, 36km from Raiganj, and put her in a government home. Her parents, who took Rs 40,000 from the groom’s family for the marriage, have fled while her husband, his aunt and grandfather have been arrested.
Haren Barman, the neighbour whose help the girl sought, said: “Around 1pm yesterday, she came crying to my house. She said she fled from her house when her parents, husband and his relatives were preoccupied with some work.”
Barman said everybody in the neighbourhood loved the girl. “She is very adorable. Her parents stopped sending her to school after she completed her primary education. About a month ago, her father Narayan Roy decided to marry her off. He said the groom was from Uttar Pradesh,” Barman said.
He said some villagers tried to reason with Roy, a farmer, not to marry off his under-age daughter.
“At first, he refused to listen. Later, he said the groom’s family had pledged to give him Rs 40,000. He said if we paid him the same amount, he would not marry off his daughter. But we are poor farmers, how can we arrange for so large an amount?” Barman said.
On Monday, the girl was married off to the 24-year-old youth from Aligarh. The wedding was held at Roy’s house.
“The girl showed courage in escaping from home. She told me she had been forced to marry by her parents. I informed Kaliaganj police station and the district chairperson of the child welfare committee (CWC),” Barman said.
CWC chairperson Sunil Bhowmick said he had met the girl at the government home. “She told me she wanted to continue with her studies. She said she was afraid.”
Bhowmick said migrant labourers from Bengal “sound out” acquaintances in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and other states about prospective brides back home.
“Often, many girls are lured away on false marriage promises. I have requested the district administration and the police to probe into such trafficking rackets,” he said.
Bhowmick said a CWC and police team rescued the girl around 6pm last evening. “We have admitted the girl to the child welfare home in Raiganj. She will stay there and we will take care of her studies,” he said.
The additional superintendent of police (headquarters), Amlan Ghosh, said: “We have arrested the groom, Nabkush Singh, his aunt Gayetri Devi and grandfather Kanhai Rajbhor. The parents of the girl are absconding.”
Police sources said the trio had been booked under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, which entails a punishment of two years in jail and/or a fine of Rs 1 lakh. The three were today remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by the chief judicial magistrate’s court here.  

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Paro or Molki : An abusive word


The glossary of abusive words has increased with a new entrant, ‘paro’. The word ‘paro’ is well known today in regions like Haryana, Punjab, western Uttar Pardesh and Rajasthan.  As with so many derogatory words, paro comes from the degrading and disparaging attitude of men towards women: it means ‘woman who is purchased for a few bucks’, ‘paro’ are those girls who are bought and brought from eastern Uttar Pardesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Bengal to compensate for the shortage of shortage of women of child bearing age.  She is not a prostitute in open terms, but her levirate marriage today means that it is not only after the death of her husband that his younger brother takes his place, she is also obliged to have sexual relations with his brothers while her husband is still alive. How can it be appropriate to call a woman living like this a ‘wife?’
‘Paro’ is an exact and true example of Catherine McKinnon’s definition of the relation of the two major sexes, “man fucks women: subject verb object”. This kind of only example in Indian classical texts, is Draupadi (A character in the epic of Mahabharata who had pandavas— the five brothers as her husbands. The five brothers had their separate wives too.) Visit any region of Haryana and you will find Catherine’s definition to be true. In spite of this widespread and increasing practice, there is no wide or authoritative research in this field available, but scattered information and data do draw a sketchy picture of the situation. From field and animal husbandry to so called ‘women’s work’ a woman is expected to do it all as ‘her duty’, and you can imagine if women who are brought as legal wife with a huge dowry has to do all these what happens to those who are bought and brought from far away 
This may not directly be a case of human trafficking but indirectly it is! And it’s very serious violation of women’s most basic human rights. Our radical organisation ‘Empower People’ is researching this situation now. Before completion of this research it will not be appropriate to say anything conclusively. But already some of the examples we have found underline the seriousness of the situation. One man who is held in very high regard in his society for being vocal against female foeticide and gender inequality, agreed to speak to me and when I got closer, I found that he has two sons and no daughter, wife and his widowed mother take care of agro & domestic chores and this man has took to social service.  

Paro or Molki : Perception and Causes (An unknown face)
Our research reveals that in Jaatland of Haryana is that paro or molki owning villages become the source of spreading the practice of paro horizontally as well as vertically.  In the village of  Kharakramji the paro were mainly from Maharashtra and in the village Shillakhedi the paro are mainly from West Bengal. We discovered that a paro who had been imported from another village then became the contact through whom other paros would be imported from her area.  The ‘husbands’ of those paro or Molki are were indulging in the heinous work of dalali (Broking system) . For example, Hari Om (name changed) from Kharakramji, who did not wanted to be interviewed, but admitted with a glory that he owns a paro. He also said that he is continuously in contact with the other dalals ( traffickers or brokers) of the city. He warned us of dire consequences if we write anything about the paro or polyandry. He told us with pride that he would be bringing more paro into the village for the other unmarried and unemployed men (people) who come to him to arrange for a paro for them. A member of Panchayat of Kharakramji village admitted this fact. He told me “they import molki to satisfy their sexual needs, all the brothers take advantage of her and for the neighbours they have a bride to show” 
We found that the  ‘husbands’ of the paro or molki and their relatives become the agents and they are continuously in contact with the agents in Hissar, Sonipat and Jind, which epicenter of the trafficking. The agents dwell in the village itself. Sometimes they are truck drivers or the people who are continuously out-goers. A paro is sold more than once in many cases by the agents and their ‘husbands’ and the rate varies from Rs.7, 000/- to Rs.40, 000/.  The paro owners also lead their neighbours and relatives from other village to a place where they can find a paro. The person for whom the paro is being bought affords all the expenses throughout the way.
Our research in the field revealed a number of reasons why women are imported into Jaatland, including the practice of polyandry, the desire for cheap labour, the fact that small landholdings and division of property, scarcity of girls, the passing of marrying age and heavy dowry. But, the irony is that on one hand men are purchasing girls and on the other graph of dowry is touching sky. 

Historical evolution of Paro (molki)
Social acceptance of karewa and its prevalence can be seen in folklore and local proverbs . Also this is noticed by one British administrator, observing the practice in early 20th century onward, recorded that even where there was only one married brother, the other brothers had free access to his wife. (M. L. DARLING, the famed writer and civil administrator of  this region, writing in Prosperity and Debt, first edition, 1925 reprint, South Asia Books, Delhi, 1978) an oft-repeated story of those days jocularly related even now, to show what a marital association entailed in the past, concerns a new bride who had four or five jeth or dewar All of them had free sexual access to her. After fifteen or twenty days of her marriage, the bride requested her mother-in-law to identify her husband from among them. Upon this the mother-in-law came out in the gali (street) and started to howl loudly; when asked about it she replied: " It is difficult for me to live in this house any more. I have been married for forty years, yet even now I have never asked anyone to determine the identity of my husband. This fifteen-day-old bride is already asking about her's." (Prem Chowdhry “An Alternetive to the sati modal : Perceptions of a Social Reality in Folklore” )
The story gives a peep into the popular perception of sexual exploitation as it existed in those days and the extent to which it was accepted as common knowledge. Women's awareness of this exploitation is highlighted even more directly and in a very perceptive manner in a lokgeet (folk song), not commonly heard these days, sung by a young bride. While recounting her enormous work load she is  made to tackle in her in-law's house every day, the bride revealingly discloses :
“Beaten and forced to live with my brother-in-law in sin, unending house work has emaciated me, oh God!”
In another ragini (song), used for enacting a swang (local folk theatre), the theme revolves around the unwelcome advances of the jeth who forces himself on his sister-in-law and refuses to take no for an answer. The proverb originates from the earlier practice, given above, which shows the brother-in-law to have sexual access to the sister-in-law. Even the father-in-law, given a chance, was not above the sexual exploitation of his daughter-in-law. That this was customarily practiced was recorded by British officials in the late 19th century. Certain villages which need not be named, have the evil reputation of deliberately getting girls older than their boy husbands in order that the father of the latter may have illicit enjoyment of them (E. Joseph, Customary Law of the Rohtak District, Lahore, 1911).
In fact, colonial Punjab and Haryana witnessed instances of the father-in-law claiming karewa marriage with the widowed daughter-in-law in
the mid-1930s (RATTIGAN, William Henry. 1966 A digest of civil law for the Punjab, 82). From the sexual point of view these attempts may very well have been to legitimize an already existing relationship which had possibly left the widowed Bahu (daughter-in-law) pregnant. An old folktale highlights these aspects:
A widowed daughter-in-law conceived from her sasura (father-in-law). She was deeply embarrassed about what the people were going to say. The father-in-law reacted to this by asking her to stitch him a quilt full of patches. This quilt he wrapped around himself and sat down in the front courtyard of the house. All the men and women who saw him laughed at the old man and commented on his heavily patched-up quilt. After a few days they stopped, having got used to him and his quilt. It was then that the old man said: " Look here, you woman, now it's all over. People take just a few days to get used to a thing."
The wide-scale social acceptance in the past of this level of sexual exploitation of women for the satisfaction of men has now been transformed into the current practice of buying women ‘paro’ or ‘Molki’ – women who are purchased from outside state - from West Bengal, Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Pahad, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Cheap Labour
Where paro women are imported they work as cheap labour. They are sent to do the daily farm work while the local brides seldom go to the field. One head of a family, Ram Singh (name changed), told us, “they (the paro) do all types and all of the work, they run very fast here and there, like in the fields, home, cattle, management of water, night duty.”
He also justified paro as a result of the law on land and property ownership “the size of the land remains the same but the claimants increased generation by generation, employment is scanty, education gives nothing, then tell who will come with marriage proposals and why?”
There is no doubt that the scarcity of girls is one of the reasons behind the import of the girls from other states. However, there are mixed opinions expressed when people were interviewed.  Some of them agreed that there is an obvious relationship between female foeticide and the practice of paro. As an elderly women lamented “they kill their girls and now they bring other’s here, it’s like as if our ‘Barseen’ ( a kind of green leafy weeds for cattle) supply has run out and now we are going to make sure our neighbours does too”.  On the other hand, some of the people clearly denied the relationship between female foeticide and importing of Molki or paros.  A social activist Deepak Chahal, told us “until now the of killing the girls has not had any effect on encouraging the practice of paro, but for the upcoming generation or in future, its worst effects will be seen”.
When we looked at the role that age may play in the paro system,  we found  that the owners or the ‘husbands’ are in the age group of 25 - 40 years. In the words of jeth of a paro, Suresh Kumar Kataria, “ we did not have land and employment,  so the people were not coming with proposals of marriages for our son,  so at last we had to bring a molki”.
Delhi
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Female feticide and Bride trafficking

    • Female feticide : A glance on sex ratio
Haryana is well known for Female Foeticide. It is clear from the census of 1991 and 2001.
Table 1 , Over all Sex ratio1 (Female per 1,000 males) from 1901 to 2001 

State/ country19011911192119311941195119611971198119912001
India972964955950945946941930934927933
Haryana867844835844869871861867870865861
West Bengal945925905890852865878891911917934

In the year 1951 and 1981 sex ratio slightly improved in Haryana. In the same period number of girls increased to 865 and 911 respectively, in the source area.These figures show a slight difference in sex ratio between West Bengal (source area) and Haryana but not much difference occurred as it is believed. The tradition of importing girls in the region is known for the last fifty years. And as can be gathered from the above table, no much difference of sex ratio between source and destination area is observed. It is interesting to note that in 1951, West Bengal has 865 females per thousand males, whereas Haryana has much higher 871 females per 1000 males. Hence, the hypothesis that the ‘outnumbered’ girls from West Bengal compensate the declining sex ratio in destination region cannot stand before the reality. On the other hand if we compare child sex-ratio (see table below) with sex ratio it clearly shows that female infanticide is heavily practiced in West Bengal. In no way West Bengal is less patriarchal society than Haryana.   
Table 2 : child sex-ratio2 (female per 1000 males) of population Aged 0 to 6 year (1961 to 2001)

State/ country1961Rank in Country1971Rank in Country1981Rank in Country1991Rank in Country2001Rank in Country
India976--964--962--945--927--
Haryana*Not AvailableNot Available89913902148791282012
West Bengal1008310102981396729632
    * Haryana’s Data is available from 1971    
      Numbers of people in Haryana are employed with police, army and transport mostly as truck drivers who during their visits and travel to other region started marrying outside their own society. These marriages provided links for bride trade. In the beginning they started this marriage business to acquire (bonded) labourer for their booming agriculture and animal husbandry. While the poor parents married their daughters to the ‘dilliwalahs’—as they are known in Purvottar—because they did not ask for dowry. However this kind of marriage is not considered socially respectable in the source area and more often regarded as ‘thag vivah’. These marriages provided further contacts to get girls and make them adapt according to men’s want. Interesting part of the marriage is that most of the molki girls are second, third and fourth ‘women’ and the age of man are almost double that of the girl’s.
              The status of molki women is quite bad in Jat Land. The cases of “Paro” have come to light from Mewat region. Two cases were reported recently from the jat land where the girls were murdered and the case got registered with the police. Media remained ignorant of the incident and reported nothing on this issue from this region. Police officers in similar way are ignorant and it is natural that the voices are suppressed in this state of affairs. It is suggested that these molki women are not satisfied and happy with their status and situation, and they have to bear all this only for the sake of their livings and due to lack of any support system. They are well aware that they are being used as a toy on use and throw basis. Therefore if they get a chance to escape they had no way other than running away from their ‘homes’ with their belongings or they would be sold to other person. This lead to maximum number of molki women to adapt to the situation they are going through since they are helpless and cannot do anything. Some of the incidents have come to light where molki woman revolted and ran away to ‘unknown’ places. It has also been seen that some of the women took to sex trade to escape from their life as molki since they were unable to return back to their ancestral home. While others became member of cheating gangs, who arranged marriages with these girls who later on fled with groom’s belongings.   
This issue has regularly been reported by so-called main stream and local media. Molki’ is an exact and true example of Catherine McKinnon’s (an American feminist, scholar) definition of the relation between the two major sexes, “man fucks woman: subject verb object”. Visit any region of Haryana and you will find Catherine’s definition to be true. In spite of the widespread and increasing practice of bringing molki, there is absolutely no attention paid towards this by government or the NGOs.  
      From agro-field and animal husbandry to so called ‘women’s work’ she is expected to do it all as ‘her duty’, and one can imagine if women who are brought as legal wives with huge dowry have to do all these then what happens to those who are bought and brought from far away?  This may not be directly a case of women trafficking under definition of ITPA but circuitously it is! It is a very serious violation of women’s most basic human rights. Our network Empower People is doing a research on this issue. Before a wide research, it will not be appropriate to say anything conclusively. But early findings suggest seriousness of the situation. In Jaatland of Haryana, molki owning villages become the source of spreading the practice of molki horizontally as well as vertically.  In the village of Kharakramji molkis were mainly from Maharashtra and in the village Shillakhedi mainly from West Bengal. We found that if a molki brought from one village in West Bengal other molkis would be brought from the same village because the first molki becomes a ‘contact’ who facilitate other men to get girls from her home region. And the ‘husbands’ of these molkis work as agents. For example, Hari Om (name changed) from Kharakramji, who did not want to be named, admitted proudly that he owns a molki. He also admitted that he was continuously in contact with the other dalals of the city. He warned us of dire consequences if we write anything about molki. He told us with pride that he will be bringing more molkis into the village for other unmarried and unemployed men who come to him to arrange one for them. A panchayat member of village Safidon admitted the bare fact, “bhai swaad len ke maare molki lyavain hain, saaryan ka kaam chalya reh ar ghar main lugai dikhe ja”( brother, they bring molki for enjoyment,  all  (the male members) take advantage of her and for the neighbours they have a girl to show off.) 
It is found that the ‘husbands’ of molki and her so-called in-laws become the agents and they keep in contact with the bigger agents based on Hissar, Sonipat and Jind, the epicentre of the trafficking. The agents dwell in the village itself. Sometimes they are truck drivers or the people who regularly go out. A molki is sold more than once in many of the cases by their ‘husbands’/agents and the price varies from Rs.7, 000/- to Rs.40, 000/ according to their beauty and sexual experience.  The molki owners also lead other relatives and neighbours to a place where they can find a molki. The person, for whom molki is being bought, affords all the expenses occurred in the way.
Our work in the field revealed a number of reasons why women are imported into Jaatland. It includes, practice of karewa, for cheap labour, small landholdings due to division of property, scarcity of girls, over age and heavy dowry. It is interesting to note that on the one hand men are purchasing girls and on the Second hand, graph of dowry is touching sky.
Bride trafficking is one of traditional Slavery system which has a deepliner history of the region so rescue and some other immediate relief or any harsh law can’t change the phenomenon. It can be abolish by cultural renaissance and sensitization of people. And we are working for the same.  


 Nowadays female feticide is a major pushing factor for this form of trafficking. Approximately there are ten million trafficked women in haryana and punjab.  and it will regularly growing 
EMPOWER PEOPLE NGO
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High Court orders release of 15 rescued sex workers

They were unwilling to go to home state Andhra Pradesh
The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the release of 15 Andhra Pradesh women rescued from a red light area here who were opposing their transfer to their home state from a reform home in Delhi. 
Setting aside the trial court's order granting their transit remand to Andhra Pradeh police, a bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and S P Garg directed the release these sex workers.
The bench passed the order after the National and Delhi Commissions for Women, which was asked by the court to assist it in rehabilitation of these women, informed the court that there was no such scheme and it would take some time to formulate the policy.
Disposing of a petition filed by these women, the court said these women could not be kept at the home till the formulation of any scheme for their rehabilitation and ordered their release forthwith.
The women in their plea sought the court's intervention as they were forcibly removed from here despite their unwillingness to go back to their home state.
The bench accepted their plea that they are not minors and they have been settled in the national capital for last more than five years and their children are also studying here. 
These women were recently rescued during a joint operation of Andhra Pradesh and Delhi Police on the direction of a court at Hyderabad.
The Hyderabad court had issued a search warrant and directed the police to present these girls on the submission of a minor girl who had escaped from the red light area here.
The minor girl had said that others from Hyderabad were also kept in confinement in the red light area. About 72 sex workers including some minor girls were rescued and except these 15, others were allowed to go home. 
Delhi
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Andhra girls rescued from Delhi brothels don't want to come back home

New Delhi:  The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the National Commission for Women and the Delhi Commission of Women to respond to pleas of some of the girls, rescued from a red light area, that they were not willing to go back to Andhra Pradesh.

A bench comprising of Justice S Ravinder Bhatt and Justice SP Garg directed the two associations to file their replies after talking to the girls and listed the matter for further hearing on Friday.

The 15 girls, currently lodged at a reform home, Nirmal Chhaya, after being rescued from the GB Road area, are seeking release saying they are "forcibly confined" and do not want to go back to their respective homes.

These girls were recently rescued during a joint operation of Andhra Pradesh Police and Delhi Police on the direction of a Hyderabad court.

The Hyderabad court had issued a search warrant and directed the police to present these girls on the submission of a minor girl who had escaped from the red light area in Delhi.

The minor girl had said that others from Hyderabad were also being forcibly held at the red light area.
The joint operation had rescued around 72 girls and all others had been allowed to go home. The two minors were handed over to their relatives. NDTV
Delhi
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Rescuing of girls from GB Road: HC asks NCW, DCW to respond

New Delhi, Apr 12 (PTI) The Delhi High Court today asked the National Commission for Women and the state unit to respond to pleas of some of the girls, rescued from a red light area here, that they were not willing to go to their native place. A bench of justices S Ravinder Bhatt and S P Garg directed the two bodies to file their replies after talking to the girls and listed the matter for further hearing tomorrow. The girls, currently lodged at reform home Nirmal Chhaya after being rescued from GB Road area, are seeking release saying they are "forcibly confined" and do not want to go back to their respective homes. These girls were recently rescued during a joint operation of Andhra Pradesh and Delhi Police on the direction of a court at Hyderabad. The Hyderabad court had issued a search warrant and directed the police to present these girls on the submission of a minor girl who had escaped from the red light area here. The minor girl had said that others from Hyderabad were also kept in confine in the red light area forcibly. The joint operation had rescued around 72 girls and except these 15 others were allowed to go home. The two minors were handed over to their relatives. The girls said that as the other were allowed to go, they should also be allowed to walk free.
Delhi
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Human trafficking agents yet to be arrested

The human trafficking agents who had sold off two young women to a brothel owner on G.B. Road here are still at large. The victims were rescued earlier this week in a joint operation by the police and a non-government organisation.
The victims, one of whom is a minor, were subjected to physical torture. They were brought to the Capital from South 24 Parganas in West Bengal on the promise of jobs as domestic helps. Both were then forced into prostitution. “The persons identified by them as local agents operating in South 24 Parganas are yet to be arrested. While it is necessary to rehabilitate the victims, it is equally important to break the entire chain through which the girls are being trafficked. All of them should be brought to book,” said Rishi Kant of NGO Shakti Vahini.
A police officer said action should also be taken against those who had kept the victims in confinement in Delhi after they were brought here.
The minor girl, who was rescued on Sunday night with the help of the young woman released from the clutches of flesh traders about a week ago, was on Tuesday produced before the Child Welfare Committee that issued directions for registration of a case against the person who brought her to the Capital. Restoring the girl to her brother, the committee said: “The child will not work, she should instead be sent to open school for education.” 
 The Hindu
Delhi
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Woman who tipped against traffickers is a suspect: Cops

The woman, who tipped the police about the placement agency that had trafficked 20 children to work as a domestic help in Delhi, used to work with the same agency and was herself involved in trafficking children, police investigation has revealed. The police are now probing her role and 
are likely to arrest her as she is believed to be behind the trafficking of six of them.
After a tiff with the placement agency owner she had filed the complaint with the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which resulted in the rescue of six girls on Wednesday. The owner of the placement agency has already been arrested.
"The children who have been rescued have also identified woman as one of the traffickers. We are currently questioning her and she will be arrested soon," a senior police officer said.
The CWC had received the complaint from the woman against LG placement agency and directed crime branch of Delhi Police to investigate the matter.
On Wednesday, a team of Delhi police and an NGO raided at least eight agencies and rescued six minors from different parts of the city.
According to sources, such raids are going to intensify in the coming few days. Police said six of the 20 minors are believed to be back in their hometown.
Some of the girls who were rescued were not even being paid for the work they did. Most of the girls hail from West Bengal.  The CWC in its order had also asked the police to register case against the accused placement agency under the Juvenile Justice Act and cases under relevant sections against the employers too.
The report further directed an age determination test to be conducted on all the girls at Safdarjung hospital.
There are 2,300 placement agencies in Delhi out of which 325 are registered under commercial establishment act. This registration is voluntary and not mandatory.  Therefore several agencies don't register themselves.
In a related incident, the police had rescued as many as 20 boys on Wednesday from the Old Delhi Railway Station. They were brought to Delhi by traffickers on the pretext of providing better paying jobs.
Delhi
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