Update on Mercy's work
Nandita Das - July 20, 2005
Mercy was in Delhi recently (she visits cities, when and only if she has to). She had come with the father of a 15 year old tribal girl Anita, who was abducted and sold for marriage in Agra. We organized a press conference and a meeting with some lawyers to take the case forward and to raise awareness about it.
The actress hat that I wear does sometime help in getting media attention, but I was rather pained to see that while they came to the press conference, much of the English Daily didn’t bother to write enough about the issue. The superficial engagements of the media sometimes angers and depresses me. But I guess, they are not from another planet and will only reflect what the society at large is preoccupied with.
There are many tribal girls in Madhya Pradesh (and I am sure many other places) who are being lured into materialistic temptations or threatened, hypnotized and then kidnapped and sold for marriage or prepared for prostitution. As there is a growing dearth of girls in many regions due to rampant female infanticide and foeticide, this becomes and easy way to procure girls for such regions. Much of this never even comes out as the police and administration has a nexus with the rich and powerful who are a part of this trafficking chain. If at all people like Mercy bring it out in the open, it is treated merely as a regional issue, which dies its natural death. How many more incidents like this need to take place for it to become a national issue or for that matter an international issue? After this issue of Anita came out, atleast 4 other cases within the same district were exposed. Of course no legal action has yet been taken, but let’s hope the court of law will protect these little girls and will punish the criminals.
And strangely, while such incidents occur around us, our lives will go on!
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Posted by Nandita Das at July 20, 2005 09:55 AM
Comments
Dear Nandita, Not to say that I am an expert in this area, but your post reminded me of an article I read a few days ago. Many of the veteran or retired police officers in our area have received letters from Dyncorp. Dyncorp is offering around 129 thousand a year to go and help train police in Iraq. If the officer stays a year, no tax is paid. Some of my friends received these letters. I was curous about Dyncorp and did a search on them. Came across some articles that were “hair raising” to say the least. Most of what I read was from 2002; not sure what has happened since then. I would suggest you do a search on Dyncorp AND Prostitution. Might give you more information on how young girls have been used from different countries for sexual purposes. Patzi
I mis-spelled dyncorp and searched for Dynacorp and Prostitution and found some more interesting stuff.
That's very sad, Nandita. It reminds me of how we tend to ignore the very poor. I think part of it is how much it would turn our "world" (perspective) upside down and the deep feelings and sense of responsibility choosing to see that level of pain would bring up for us.
So instead the trivial or randomly sensationalized and emotionally "charged" events become the focus of our attention. It's a way to numb ourselves to the suffering.
Lately I watch myself as I look for pleasure and avoid pain in my daily life. It's subtle - but it's there, underneath the surface, influencing my choices. And I ask myself, if I come to the end of my life and find that my life has been for the most part all about "me" (what will give me pleasure or what will bring me pain) - how will I feel then?
If I can imagine the isolation, the pain and the sense of loss I would feel at the end of such a life, perhaps I can get close the the level of suffering Anita and her family are experiencing.
Love, Kristin
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Recent Comments
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Kristin Masterton commented on Update on Mercy's work
That's very sad, Nandita. It reminds me of how
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pam commented on Update on Mercy's work
I mis-spelled dyncorp and searched for Dynacorp
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Pat Zielinski commented on Update on Mercy's work
Dear Nandita, Not to say that I am an expert in
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Venky commented on Update on Mercy's work
Dear Nandita,
I hear your pain. I don't
Dear Nandita,
I hear your pain. I don't know if you have seen this movie "kutty" in tamil. This movie exactly presents the state of girls specially from poor family in villages. It is sad state of affairs to disparity in humanity. Divide between rich and poor. It is sad to see the level of ignorance, and the numbness we all have collectively to these kind of atrocities.
I really appreciate you for bringing this to the intentblog.
Love,
Venky