In the Zone of Transition: Reframing the Discourse

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Lao-tzu (604 BCE - 531 BCE)

Over twenty years of turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir has resulted in an increase in the number of orphaned children who are vulnerable to not just physical and psychological abuse but also to the mechanisations of Valley based terrorist groups who often exploit them as child soldiers, spies and porters. Many children are put to great risk when terrorists use them to throw grenades and plant IEDs. In a totally callous manner, terrorist groups have also been using small children, as young as nine to ten years of age, as human shields in encounters with security forces. These orphans present both a challenge as well as an opportunity to the country. A proactive rehabilitation strategy to these unfortunate victims of conflict could be one of the instruments of rebuilding peace.

A survey conducted by Prof Bashir Ahmad Dabla titled “A Sociological Study of Widows and Orphans”, states that the condition of most widows and orphans in Kashmir conflict is miserable as they face multi-dimensional problems. As per the report, “Accommodation, educational loss, psychological depression, social disorganisation, insecurity, health deterioration, dependence on others, deviance and delinquency are some of the major issues widows and orphans of conflict face”. Shelter remains the major problem as “After the death of their husband/father, woman and her children were not taken care of either by their patri-kins or matri-kins. They were so often denied their inheritance rights and were compelled to arrange their own accommodation”. The report further highlights the fact that the most important loss to orphans is in education. “The death of father means stoppage of regular income to the family and they couldn’t pay even the meagre amount of school fees. This results in dropouts up to 40 per cent. The number of girls was more than boys in the dropout cases”.

As per official records, there are 9,000 widows and 25,000 orphans in the state. Causative factors are natural causes, disease, disasters, accidents and conflict, the last named accounting for about one third of all such cases. Results of sample study in six districts indicated that 37 per cent of the orphans lost one or both parents due to the conflict with the largest number of children orphaned being in Anantnag, followed by Ganderbal, Baramulla and Rajouri. These are also the places which witnessed high levels of violence in 2012. These places have also reported the presence of child soldiers.

The state government offers a relief package of Rs one lakh to the orphans but this is grossly inadequate. Even this relief is contingent on a certificate being given by the state police that the orphan’s parents were not directly or indirectly associated with any militancy related activity. This criterion prevents relief to be given to orphans created by armed conflict. The state of J&K also has a State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) for widows but not a single young widow has been provided with the financial assistance under the scheme of “marriage assistance to young widows and grown up daughters” in Srinagar and Ganderbal leaving a question mark on the government claims of giving first priority to these two districts. This sums up the problem of delivery. Corruption too is endemic. As per a report in the Deccan Herald[1], Hajra Bano, a widow from Srinagar, had applied for special fund assistance. She was asked to contact a peon of a social welfare officer who in turn demanded a bribe of Rs 2,000 to get the case cleared. The woman alleged that “The officer’s peon is working as his agent and beneficiaries like me are fleeced in broad daylight”. This sadly is the truth in the implementation of welfare schemes.

In the absence of effective and comprehensive rehabilitation measures, orphans prefer if possible to stay with relatives rather than in state run orphanages. Their vulnerability leaves them at risk of becoming victims of violence, physical and sexual abuse, participating in armed conflict, becoming child soldiers or being trafficked across national borders. Many drop out of school due to poverty and end up becoming child labourers and unpaid workers. These children are easy targets of terrorist groups as they are relatively easy to abduct, subjugate, and manipulate. Being more impressionable, they are vulnerable to indoctrination. Globally, it has also been found that children in such circumstances in fact volunteer to be child soldiers, because in the absence of options, life as a soldier often looks better than the misery and poverty they try to leave behind.

‘Half Orphans’ children of half widows (wives of men who have disappeared and have not been declared dead) are often particularly traumatised and exploited. Case studies show that children of missing parents grow up with a sense of revenge and rage against the state and its security forces. Orphans often experience depression, mood swings, complain of insomnia and exhibit signs of nervousness. Even though most of these emotional problems are environmentally induced and are reversible, lack of attention and institutionalised support has left them neglected. While a few do manage to gain entry in orphanages and secure their admission in schools, most fail to clear 12^th grade and add to the unemployed youth of Kashmir; they thus naturally gravitate to misery and juvenile behaviour.

Reasons for increase in rise of orphans include continuous conflict and loss of traditional support. Children from nuclear families once orphaned have no familial support and continue to live in trauma. Lack of education and healthy socialisation in the Valley can be inferred from severe drop of 82 points in its child sex ratio, making J&K the third worst state after Haryana and Punjab. There is a dearth of psychologists and case social workers throughout the state. In the absence of any Child Rights mechanisms, the data regarding number of NGO’s running orphanages simply does not exist.

Orphan-hood is a huge challenge which needs to be addressed.  The Central Government introduced the ‘Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) 2009-10’, with the objective of creating a protective environment for children, especially those in difficult circumstances. ICPS has however not been introduced in J&K even though many flagship schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, National Rural Health Mission and Integrated Child Development Services exist. While these have increased public resources in Child Development Mechanisms but benefit of these models are not reaching children. The challenge remains to convert these commitments and resources into qualitative outcomes for all children, especially orphans who belong to socially disadvantaged and marginalised communities

Integrating the resources of the Centre, state government and the Army could lead to an improvement in the sensitive and fragile environment of J&K. Such a partnership can facilitate and accelerate the process of delivering education in conflict areas.  Central government can extend various frameworks and models, working on these lines with exceptions to such areas without further delay. For instance, adolescents who have completed schooling can be integrated under National Skill Development programme of central government. State government can help in identification and last mile delivery of these models. Panchayats can adopt models like ‘MAKASA’ in Karnataka, which empower locals to monitor administration of the Right to Education. Indian Army can assist orphans through Operation Sadbhavana to protect these children and provide them food and shelter to begin with. Together, government and armed forces can provide these children an experience which is transformative and provide them identity and strong voice. The Army can also play a stellar role in monitoring welfare schemes in remote areas where the state government has limited presence. While this is unlikely to find favour as it will expose corruption in implementation mechanisms, it needs to be pushed through in the larger interest of the state.

Importantly, issue of reintegration of orphans should be perceived with nuanced conceptual sensitivity. Although, Army provides education and financial assistance to many children it rescues, it is hard for them to return to their villages for fear of reprisals from jihadi organisations. These children can be absorbed under protective homes and provided a habitat to prosper and grow as a responsibility of state and armed forces towards society. The idea of bringing these children in a zone of transition should be a peace building measure and investment in our social infrastructure and not just to win hearts of people.

Along with other issues in the Valley which merit serious concern, we need to also focus our attention on protecting these vulnerable groups. Education and shelter are prime interventions which can yield huge dividends as they provide a sense of continuity and stability for children. When everything around is in chaos, schools can be a haven of security that is vital to the well-being of children in conflict areas. Apart from education, it is important that these children are provided psychological help to overcome traumatic experience and provide them a new family of friends whom they can depend on and create a social support group for themselves. This issue deserves a fair discourse as the future of our country rests on our children.

The author is a Research Intern at CLAWS

Views expressed are personal