Ayushman Initiative For Child Rights ( AIFCR ) is a PUBLIC CHARITABLE TRUST ( Under the Indian Trusts Act 1882) crusading for rights of children affected & separated from one or either parent due to estranged relations between their parents, amidst marital disputes and/or separated by choice. Every year almost 1 lac such children are affected in India and in such situations most of these children are subjected to parental alienation syndrome (PAS) , a term coined by child psychiatrist Richard Gardner in 1985 to describe what he believed to be a distinctive suite of behaviours in children that includes showing extreme but unwarranted fear, disrespect or hostility towards a parent. The World Health Organisation however uses the term ‘caregiver- child relationship problem’ in its place to describe situations and mental conditions that a child faces in divorce and custody battles in courts.
Objectives Of AIFCR :
- Recognition of parental alienation as child abuse and punishment to the practicing parent.
- Ensuring sufficient and equitable child access to both parents for the best welfare of the child and in compliance with UNCRC guidelines and the Constitution of India.
- Sensitizing the judiciary to recognize the mental abuse faced by these children and to pass equitable orders and speedy justice and deposition of cases in favour of both parents.
- Ensure the right of both parent and the child to have access in schools and to participate in the academic and extracurricular activities of these children by sensitizing the schools in the matter.
- Gender Neutral Laws.
- Separate ministry for children.
- Implementation of shared parenting as a law (Refer Law Commission Report 257).
- Sensitization of different government departments like the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Child Welfare Committees, DCPUs, WCD in different states of India.
- Sensitization of the police and government officials about the fundamental right of these children and the basic right to the love and affection of both parents.
- Sensitization of the legal profession and creating awareness on child centric issues and laws and basic rights of children .
Towards these objectives Ayushman has undertaken the following activities :
- Public awareness campaign in rural and urban areas to make the general people aware of the rights of children and their welfare and steps to be taken in ensuring the child rights with their parents.
- Making the government aware of the rules and law and also asking them to reform existing laws relating to custody and other allied areas by sending memorandums and deputations
- Ensuring the right of both parent and the child to have access in schools and tom participate in the school activities and programmes.
- Deputation to judiciary to implement shared parnting and to formulate parenting plan as per set guidelines.
In this respect AIFCR has already submitted a memorandum to the West Bengal State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR ) for conducting survey/ research on children affected by parental alienation and its effect on the mental health of these alienated children . AIFCR has also taken up the issue of ensuring and safeguarding the rights of each school going children and their parents to have proper records included in the admission records of the schools for both parents and for participation of both parents in the academic progress, parent teacher meeting and other school activities of these children. It has also taken up the issue with the school department of various states and the Union Ministry to frame a guideline on these issues. The concerted school activism of AIFCR has helped many parents to re-establish their connect with the schools in these matters concerning their children. In this regard attention is drawn to the commendable work done by the West Bengal State Commission for Protection of Child Rights to have framed guidelines for mental health appraisal of children in August 2019.
Ayushman Initiative is also trying to sensitize the police in not registering suo moto case against parents in situations where the parents are trying to meet and access their children against the wishes of the other partner. It is also playing an active role in making the administration aware of these happenings in daily life.
Ayushman Initiative For Child Rights is intervening in PIL at Calcutta High Court to request judiciary to formulate guidelines in the lines of existing ones in few other High Court in India to sensitize and train the judges in these aspects for fair and equitable justice to innocent children suffering from parental dispute and is also an intervening party through its members to the shared parenting PIL which is currently proceeding at Supreme Court of India.
In these cases children suffer from mental and emotional abuse arising out of the acts and actions of one narcissist parent in barricading and preventing the child from having access and communication with the other parent. This leads to a state of alienation whereby the child is influenced and tutored not to like the other parent and not to go to him or her. This infringes upon the basic fundamental right of these children as guaranteed under the Constitution of India and also as ensured by the UNCRC guidelines for child rights to which India is a signatory since 1992. The guidelines issued under the child guideline principles by the Govt. of India also states that it is the duty of the State to ensure that the UNCRC guidelines are followed and complied with by different agencies and forum. Unfortunately in India the NCPCR has not yet recognized parental alienation as a form of child abuse and which needs to be legally punished. Also the judiciary has not been very forthcoming in passing orders complying with the UNCRC guidelines and the need of the hour is to frame a uniform guideline for shared parenting in lines with the recommendations of the Law Commission Report of 257 which is pending before the Govt. since 2015.
Our Objectives
