Saturday, September 28, 2013

Changing views

Recently, I watched this very horrifying and moving story of a young boy on crime show that came in Indian channel. It was about a street boy Fahim*, nine years old, who was taken to Alfred Jacobs Orphanage for caring. It was only boys orphanage. When he was taken to the orphanage he was washed, clothed in clean dress and then fed food, that was prepared only for him, not for all other boys who lived in this orphanage. Almost immediately, he was taken to the shelter home, he was forced into child sex for white colors paying clients,who visited this orphanage, purely for this sexual pleasure rather than helping or supporting them without expecting anything in return. This was happening in this orphanage under the direct involvement and direction by its founder, Alfred Jacob, who was an American by citizenship.


The boys who were in his orphanage was sexually abused by mostly rich Americans, who paid handsome money to Alfred Jacob for the same. Some of the visitors also used to take  young boys to Goa or other parts of India during their holiday trip and paid hefty sum for the same to the founder. Remember, this was not as same as the charity money given to run the orphanage.  He was doing all this, in the name of keeping boys from the street. Its so hard to understand some people see money in somebody else desperate condition and yet say it they are doing it for their good.

Unlike other boys, who suffered silently, Fahim did not like the pain he has to gone through. Due to the painful affair and his helplessness also he was not willing to remain silent and wanted to seek help to get out from the total mess he found himself because he could not see any difference in its nature, that his life here was any better than his life on street. Except the angel of looking at it was different.

Once he was out with his white ‘client’, he asked him a Rs and then called an NGO, for this and then the case slowly picked up. Alfred ran out from India during the case. With the help of interpol red corner, he was extradited to India and the case was fought against him. Lower court declared alfred not guilty, because Alfred Jacob could infuse loads of money to corrupt the mind of other young boys who never spoke against him and also to probe the young boy wrong, but Fahim and this NGO took it to high court and it took them 10 years to fight this case but ultimately supreme court convicted him guilty of charge. This case also helped parliament to bring new law to protect the rights of children against sexual abuse.



The other day they were showing  a story about  a mentally retarded teenage girl’s story on crime show. She was so much mentally challenged she even did not know the difference between  sex, abuse, molestation or anything. She even did not know was this normal or abnormal to have relationship with many men.

Then she was pregnant and she was not even aware of it. She herself was in a condition that she could raise that child. So when the top management came to know about it, it they sought the court's order to abort the child. They also investigated who is the father of the child and who is responsible for all this.


It was sad to see in this finding that this girl was not just sexually molested by the most of the male staff of children home like driver, security guards and others but worse than this, these men were charged by the maids in the Nari Home for letting them to play with this girl, where she was kept before she was transferred to this new shelter home run by nuns. This kind of story do have power to shake me throughly from within, for they finding ways to make money out of a mentally retarded girl also.

And suddenly all the things I have been crying for in most of my life that nannies were so mean to us and housemother were so ruthless and disrespecting towards our conditions seemed too pale in front of these two cases and their conditions. We were treated and regarded less than humans at times, but perhaps we do remember things that was negative in its nature longer than the bright side of the society.

I am not saying what I have been in Bal Mandir was not just my issue almost all other person in different orphanage regardless of country or society must have found themselves in my shoes once or more. Its only that the others seem to have gone through a lot worse condition than I have been in Bal Mandir. Suddenly it feels that it was heaven compared to the other places or orphanage and at time even being a part of a family member was worse than my condition to find myself in Bal Mandir. Its just that we don't know that story.

It was not the place or country but the society and its culmination thinking is worse or makes the matter worse than the condition we find ourselves in. I feel good now but it also feel sad that my good feel has direct relation seeing or knowing others bad condition. Law of relativity is funny, I find my self in better condition which makes me happy and I find myself in bad shape who have been in better condition than me.

All I need is a break from this law !

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Note : *Fahim’s name is changed to protect privacy.

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