Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Sahyog, Support in Development about the death of 23 children belonging to Sahariya community, a scheduled tribe, of malnutrition and diseases caused by it within a short span of time. The AHRC has also learnt that the local administration was made well aware of the situation and yet did nothing to save the lives of these children. For example, Sahyog itself has found 98 children as severally malnourished and 119 as moderately malnourished in a survey of 450 children it carried out recently. Further, the sudden deaths witnessed this year are no exception but follow the trend witnessed over several years of a spate in deaths during the late monsoons with diarrhea being the immediate precipitating cause in many cases.
CASE NARRATIVE:
Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh has recently seen a spate in the deaths of children from tribal and other underprivileged communities. In just two months of late Monsoon, August and September, 23 children have died of severe malnutrition and diseases caused by it; diarroheo and other gastro intenstinal diseases being the immediate trigger in most of these cases. Sahariya habitat of Mongiya ka Pura near the Veerpur Tahsil (a revenue division) head quareters has been particularly hit, though the deaths have taken place in many other parts of the district. With underreporting of such cases being the dominant norm in the area, actual situation could be far worse.
The names of the identified victims are as follows
1. Sanjay s/o Parmal, age 4 years, Veerpur.
2. Parlekh s/o Munshi, age 7 years, Veerpur
3. Jitendra s/o Mahesh, age 6 months, Veerpur
4. Pappu s/o Durgesh, age 6 months, Veerpur
5. Pappi d/o Ramkishor age 6 months, Veerpur
6. Neeraj s/o Bhairu Jataw, age 6 months
7. Pappu s/o Sobaran, 3 months, village Bhampura
8. Parwati d/o Mukesh Jataw, 12 years, village Gawadi,
9. Dilraj s/o Sitaram Adivasi, 5 years, village Bandarhar
10. Vaishnawi d/oRajaram village Khirkhiri
11. Lalaram s/o Sriram, 3 years, village Lahrauni
12. Ritu d/o Dalveer, 1 year, village Peeparani
13. Dharmendra s/o Lallu, 1 year, village Peeprani
14. Reena d/o Birbal, 5 years, village Semalda
15. Indal s/o ranveer, 1 year, village Semalda
16. Doya d/o Babulal , 6 years, village Kitrana Sahrana Karahal
17. A 12 year old in village Fulda
18. Krishna s/o Shrilal Adivasi, Sheopur
19. Ankit s/o Giriraj, 4 months, Sheopur
20. Rachna d/o Attar Singh, 10 years, village Damraun Kala, District Shivpuri
21. JayShree d/o Vijayram, 12 years, village Damraun Kala District Shivpuri
22. Kanchan d/o Hariram, 12 years, village Kalauthara, District Shivpuri
23. Sanjay s/o Raghuveer, Shivpuri
Primary reason behind these deaths is the near total collapse of the welfare schemes, particularly Integrated Child Development Scheme responsible for saving the children from malnutrition in this district. Sahyog has found that most of the Anganwadi centers are hardly functioning. The anganwadi staffs have been reported to go to their respective centers only once a week, whereas a few reportedly attended to their duties even less.
Such gross dereliction of duty in an area with rather high incidence of anaemia and malnutrition even among women is bound to result in such catastrophe year after year. The district has reported similar flurry in deaths due to malnutrition during late monsoons almost every year since 2005. AHRC has a list of the children that perished to the disease for several of these years. Not making any intervention to save these children is not merely an act of omission, or negligene, it is almost a criminal failure of the state machinery in implementing the welfare schemes aimed at protecting Indian children.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the authorities mentioned below demanding immediate intervention to eradicate hunger and malnutrition from the area, ensuring health care services to save the children already malnourished and bringing them back to normalcy and fix accountability for these deaths. The public authorities and officials failing to discharge their duties and saving the children should be brought to justice.
The AHRC is also writing a separate letter to the (1)the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate food and the Advisory Committee on the right to food, (2) UN Special Rapporteur on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and (3) Chief Justice of Supreme Court of India calling for an intervention in the case.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear __________,
INDIA: 23 tribal children die of malnutrition in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh
Name of the victim: Sanjay s/o Parmal, age 4 years, Parlekh s/o Munshi, age 7 years, Jitendra s/o Mahesh, age 6 months, Pappu s/o Durgesh, age 6 months, Pappi d/o Ramkishor age 6 months, Veerpur, Neeraj s/o Bhairu Jataw, age 6 months (all from
Veerpur)
Pappu s/o Sobaran, 3 months, village Bhampura, Parwati d/o Mukesh Jataw, 12 years, village Gawadi, Dilraj s/o Sitaram Adivasi, 5 years, village Bandarhar, Vaishnawi d/oRajaram village Khirkhiri, Lalaram s/o Sriram, 3 years, village Lahrauni, Ritu d/o Dalveer, 1 year, village Peeparani, Dharmendra s/o Lallu, 1 year, village Peeprani, Reena d/o Birbal, 5 years, village Semalda, Indal s/o ranveer, 1 year, village Semalda, Doya d/o Babulal , 6 years, village Kitrana Sahrana Karahal, A 12 year old in village Fulda, Krishna s/o Shrilal Adivasi, Sheopur, Ankit s/o Giriraj, 4 months, Sheopur, Rachna d/o Attar Singh, 10 years, village Damraun Kala, District Shivpuri, JayShree d/o Vijayram, 12 years, village Damraun Kala District Shivpuri, Kanchan d/o Hariram, 12 years, village Kalauthara, District Shivpuri, Sanjay s/o Raghuveer, Shivpuri
Place of incident: Sheopur and Shivpuri districts.
Time of Incident: August September, 2012
I want to draw your attention to the recent spate in the deaths of children from tribal and other underprivileged communities in Sheopur and Shivpuri Districts of Madhya Pradesh. In just two months of late Monsoon, August and September, 23 children have died of severe malnutrition and diseases caused by it; diarrhoea and other gastro intenstinal diseases being the immediate trigger in most of these cases. Sahariya habitat of Mongiya ka Pura near the Veerpur Tahsil (a revenue division) head quareters has been particularly hit, though the deaths have taken place in many other parts of the district. With underreporting of such cases being the dominant norm in the area, actual situation could be far worse.
The names of the identified victims are as follows
1. Sanjay s/o Parmal, age 4 years, Veerpur.
2. Parlekh s/o Munshi, age 7 years, Veerpur
3. Jitendra s/o Mahesh, age 6 months, Veerpur
4. Pappu s/o Durgesh, age 6 months, Veerpur
5. Pappi d/o Ramkishor age 6 months, Veerpur
6. Neeraj s/o Bhairu Jataw, age 6 months
7. Pappu s/o Sobaran, 3 months, village Bhampura
8. Parwati d/o Mukesh Jataw, 12 years, village Gawadi,
9. Dilraj s/o Sitaram Adivasi, 5 years, village Bandarhar
10. Vaishnawi d/oRajaram village Khirkhiri
11. Lalaram s/o Sriram, 3 years, village Lahrauni
12. Ritu d/o Dalveer, 1 year, village Peeparani
13. Dharmendra s/o Lallu, 1 year, village Peeprani
14. Reena d/o Birbal, 5 years, village Semalda
15. Indal s/o ranveer, 1 year, village Semalda
16. Doya d/o Babulal , 6 years, village Kitrana Sahrana Karahal
17. A 12 year old in village Fulda
18. Krishna s/o Shrilal Adivasi, Sheopur
19. Ankit s/o Giriraj, 4 months, Sheopur
20. Rachna d/o Attar Singh, 10 years, village Damraun Kala, District Shivpuri
21. JayShree d/o Vijayram, 12 years, village Damraun Kala District Shivpuri
22. Kanchan d/o Hariram, 12 years, village Kalauthara, District Shivpuri
23. Sanjay s/o Raghuveer, Shivpuri
Primary reason behind these deaths is the near total collapse of the welfare schemes, particularly Integrated Child Development Scheme responsible for saving the children from malnutrition in this district. Sahyog has found that most of the Anganwadi centers are hardly functioning. The anganwadi staffs have been reported to go to their respective centers only once a week, whereas a few reportedly attended to their duties even less.
Such gross dereliction of duty in an area with rather high incidence of anaemia and malnutrition even among women is bound to result in such catastrophe year after year. The district has reported similar flurry in deaths due to malnutrition during late monsoons almost every year since 2005. AHRC has a list of the children that perished to the disease for several of these years. Not making any intervention to save these children is not merely an act of omission, or negligene, it is almost a criminal failure of the state machinery in implementing the welfare schemes aimed at protecting Indian children.
I therefore urge you to ensure
1. Immediate interventions to stop any more deaths from happening;
2. Taking immediate steps to make the welfare schemes reach the needy;
3. That all entitlements as prescribed in different governmental schemes for protecting the health of children reach them
4. That ICDS centers run every day and cater to the needs of the community;
5. Instituting inquiry into dereliction of duty by officers responsible for these deaths and bringing them to justice;
6. That there is no repeat of such calamity in the forthcoming years.
Sincerely,
_______
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minster
Government of India
Room No. 148 B, South block, New Delhi.
INDIA
Fax: + 91 11 230116857; 23015603
Email : manmohan@sansad.nic.in
2. Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Chief Minister
Government of Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91 755 2441781; 2540501
Email : cm@mp.nic.in
3. Shri R. Parasuram,
Chief Secretary,
Government of Madhya Pradesh,
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh,
India.
Fax: +91 755 2441751; 2441521
Email: cs@mp.nic.in
4. Mr. Dnyaneshwar B. Patil(IAS)
District Collector - Sheopur (MP)
Government of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91 7530-220058
Email : dmsheopur@mp.gov.in
3. Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission
Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg
New Delhi 110001
INDIA
Fax: + 91 11 2338 4863
E-mail: chairnhrc@nic.in
4. Shri. Harsh Mander
Office of the Supreme Court Commissioners
B-68, 2nd Floor, Sarvodaya Enclave
New Delhi-110017
Phone: (011) 26851335, (011) 26851339
Fax: (011) 41829631
Email: sc.commissioners@gmail.com
Thank you
Hunger Alerts Programme
Right to Food Programme (foodjustice@ahrc.asia)
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
