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Hridaya
A Nest of Family Harmony
PRESS
RELEASE
FATHERS
DAY- Sunday, June 15, 2014
HRIDAYA is a pro-family NGO, which focuses on
issues related to unquestionable right of children to remain connected by both
biological parents.
HRIDAYA is
celebrating Father’s Day on 15th June, 2014 (third Sunday of the
month of June). Father's Day is celebrated worldwide to honor the
contribution of ‘Fathers’ towards upbringing of their children.
Also in India, Father's Day has been celebrated for many years as an expression
of love and tribute to the Fathers. In present time, fathers are actively
involved in parenting their children in every way and in all spheres of their
development.
HRIDAYA in
Association with ALL Children Together Trust, celebrates Fathers Day with a
Cultural event at KalaKunj KAlaMandir,Theatre Road, Kolkatta . Fatherless Child from age group of 5 to 12 years pay tribute to
Fathers in form of Songs and Dance. They also depict the plight of
Fathers who face custody battles and how their basic rights are denied through
a Skit.
The celebration of Fathers day is presided by Honorable Retd. Justice A
K Ganguly as Cheif Guest.
Unfortunately,
in recent years, divorce rate has been going up, especially among the educated
& urban class people. HRIDAYA is concerned with the growing custody battles
between the parents and the ill-effects on the children due to their parents'
separation.
Typically in divorce and separation cases, one of the parents, out of
revenge against the other parent deprives the child of the love, affection and
care of the other parent. This is one of the worst forms of child abuse, as the
children suffer the consequences of permanent psychological damage from
resulting disorders like Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) and Reactive
Associative Disorders that warp a child’s development.
Studies have
shown that there is a tendency for such children to become criminals in their
later years, for which the society and our system are directly responsible. As
per the research done by the multiple organizations across the globe, it
reveals shocking information that children deprived of their Father’s care are:
5 times more
likely to commit suicide
9 times more
likely to drop-out of high school
14 times more
likely to end up as Rapist
20 times more
likely to end up in Prison or become drug addicted
32 times more
likely to runaway from home.
There is no
doubt that fathers’ involvement in child care cannot be substituted by anybody
in the world. “A Father is better than hundred teachers!" Joint custody
and SHARED PARENTING are the BEST SOLUTIONS in divorce and parental separation.
Even though children constitute about 40% of country’s population, they are
voiceless victims. Thus there is need to create public awareness on this highly
sensitive subject and human rights issue.
Perhaps, the most
thankless job in the world is that of a father who plays multiple roles in
order to keep his family secure and happy. He effortlessly juggles many roles
such as that of a provider, a mentor, disciplinarian, advisor, protector, etc.,
all with the sole objective of keeping his family strong and united. In times
of crisis, it is a father who bears the brunt, shielding his family resolutely.
He is proactive, loud and clear and will do anything to safeguard the interests
of his near and dear ones. Sometimes caring and sometimes tough, he constantly
guides his children to make them better human beings. Yet, we see that there is
a concerted effort to undermine the positive role played by a father and
deprive him of his rights and all this in the name of women empowerment.
It would not be
wrong to say that the concept/idea of family & togetherness originated in
India. The West had always viewed India as a nation that propagated the
importance of families to the rest of the world. Given the lack of values in
the Western society, they always cited India as the perfect embodiment of
culture and family values. But look what has happened to the Indian society.
Like the West, we are facing a huge crisis, one that is getting worse by the
day. The concept of family is on the verge of a permanent collapse and with it
morality and values.
Thanks to draconian
laws and their ridiculous implementation/interpretation, modern day India is
slowly waking to the reality of a fatherless society. The complete abuse of
laws such as 498a and Domestic Violence has not only uprooted many families but
it has also resulted in severe human rights violation. Apart from constant
harassment and the risk of facing imminent arrest, men are being wrongfully
separated from their children. The above mentioned laws have become tools in
the hands of nasty women to deprive fathers of their right to be with their
children. Is this how you empower women? Statistics reveal that most of the 498a
cases that are filed are false and done with an ulterior motive. They further
reveal that there has been a significant spurt in the number of 498a cases
filed. Bengal had close to 20,000 498a cases filed in 2011, the highest in
India. The conviction rate was a mere 5%. In fact, the conviction rate across
India in 498a cases is just a mere 2%. Unscrupulous women are using these
pro-women laws to give shape to their sinister motives and in the process,
destroying families, and murdering innocence.
Why is it that all
these Feminist Groups are only looking to protect the interests of the wives
and not that of sisters and mothers? Why is it being assumed that only wives
are tortured and not husbands? Why is it
that atrocities against women are considered to be crime while atrocities
against men are being ignored? Why is the media not giving importance to the
plight of the harassed husband and his family? Finally, why is the government
acting as a mute spectator?
It is not known as
to how many genuinely victimized women have benefited out of laws such as 498a
& DV but what has been firmly established is that the
aforesaid laws have victimized several
innocent Fathers & their Children. The effects are far-reaching and unless some
concrete measures are taken to prevent the abuse of such laws, the concept of
family will continue to be threatened and so will the existence of Fathers.
HRIDAYA demands the following immediate Family Law
reforms:
1.
Grant
immediate and equal (child) access to separated parents who are keen to take
care of their children as a practice. Legislate law to make this mandatory.
2.
Conduct
compulsory counseling on SHARED PARENTING to educate parents of its benefits.
3.
Set up
special courts to deal with child custody cases and address problems faced by
parents deprived of any visitation/joint custody as top priority.
4.
In a child
divorce / child custody case, stop treating Fathers as FREE ATM MACHINES.
5.
All child custody/
child visitation cases should be disposed off, within 3 months of application
in the family courts in the best interest of children.
6. HRIDAYA proposes that a
separate Ministry for Children should be set up and to de-link the same from
the present Women and Child Development ministry, since the objectives of the
two ministries is different.
For more information please
contact:-
Amit Gupta:
08420200516
Convener
Hridaya
A Nest of Family Harmony
