Social Networking: Gift or Curse?

Social networking: Pros & Cons

In todays world, where social networking has become an essential part of people’s lives, we often overlook how it affects our morals and daily lives.

As everything that surrounds us, social networking has its benefits and disadvantages. It depends on the extent to which we exploit it. As every resource is harmful after a limit, it is quiet easy to overdose on social networking.

In today’s busy world social networking gives us an opportunity to stay in contact with our friends, relatives and acquaintances. It also gives us a temporary escape from our stressful lives. But, the most important advantage of social networking is that since more than 1 bn. people are now on social netorkin sites i.e. 1 in 7 people on earth are using social networking sites, we get an opportunity to communicate with people from all around the world, explore their religion, cultures, etc. and, that too without traveling abroad in the comfort of our homes!

  South Korea is testament to the ease and comfort of social networking in the lives of its citizens. It is the most wired country in the world, facilitated with the widespread availabilit of internet, social networking has permeated every facet of human life.

  Its benefits also extend to social revolutions such as the Arab Spring, wherein social network sites like Twitter and Faceboook were used extensively to organise widespread protests throughout North Afrca amd West Asia, resulting in the ousting of long-time dictatorships in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

  Now, THE UGLY TRUTH.

Social networking sites are highly addictive and are slowly killing our personal lives. A recent survey showed that 65% people were ready to give up on alcohol than deactiving their accounts on social networking sites!

  This shows the level upto which people are addicted to social networking. This addiction leads to people revealing too much information to the public killing their private lives.

  Once addicted, the people cannot make do without social networking for even an hour! Without social networking addicts become restless and desparate to visit their profiles.

This is now a common sight and nearly 37% of people having an account on social networking are addicts.
  Further ill effects of social networking include a disastarous loss of concentration and massive deterioration of grammar and basic language skills, with “Spelling” being the lates and most common casualty amongst even the most educated users; A flaw they later carry on to their real and professional lives, as is clearly evident from observing school-going children.

  In conclusion, the merits and demerits of social networking is debatable. It is easy to get addicted to social networking and lose oneself in the virtual world, along with losing one’s language skills. On the otheer hand, social networking can be a very powerful tool to stay connected with the world, and bring about social revolutions as witnessed in recent years in North Africa and West Asia. And judging by the plethora of social networking sites and apps available to the user, its easy to assume that these are here to stay and will continue to remain a part of our lives.

Ishaan Humble

               &

Sumant Agnihotri

CIM

International Food Festival

AIESEC Indore Food Fest

On 15th July, 2012 AIESEC Indore organised an International Food Carnival where 55 international interns from 12 different countries showcased their culinary culture and cuisines. The event was held at Mangosteen Eco life and was powered by Radio Mirchi. The event started at 5 o clock in evening where 30+ dishes from various different countries were put in the form of stalls.

The 55 interns from 12 different countries were in Indore for Choithram International School for a social project on Child Rights, Child abuse and Child Education.

160 people gathered to experience the mouth-watering culinary culture of different countries. Their were musical performances as well such as Internationals singing Karaoke and a small live band performance. Interns from Taiwan and Bahrain also performed some dance routines.

The primary objective of the event was to showcase the culture and
cuisines of various countries to foster greater cultural exchange and harmony amongs those gathered. One other fun way this was implemented was by having the interns say a cuisines of various countries to foster greater cultural exchange and harmony amongs those gathered. One other fun way this was implemented was by having the interns say a few phrases in their native tongues, which the audience had to decipher.

The names of the interns who sang in their own languages were Acho, Fatima, Xinxin fu, Tedio, Williams and Charles. Prizes were distributed to the best 2 singers: Acho and Charles. The gifts were distributed by the team of Radio Mirchi. The event was broadcasted Live on the Internet and was covered on air by Radio Mirchi which helped in gathering online audience as well as local listeners.

At the end of the day AIESEC Indore provided each intern with some memorabilia from AIESEC in return for presenting their native cultures to the people of Indore via their Culinary Heritage and giving everyone present a day to remember.

The atmosphere in the kitchen was highly charged up. The discomfort of the heat was more than made for by the rich smell of spices and excited chefs.

The Scourge of Corruption

CORRUPTION

“Corruption” is defined as “the act of corrupting or the state of being corrupt”. In philosophy it refers to moral decadence and character contamination, while in economics it refers to unlawful practices carried out by people in authority, usually for selfish gains. It’s derived from the Latin word “Corruptus”, past participle of “Corrumpere” which means “to abuse or destroy”.

Corruption can be political, economic or spiritual. In all cases, a corrupt individual foregoes all ethics and morals to obtain undeserved gains – may it be influential, monetary or in kind. The individual resorts to any and all kinds of measures to ensure maximum gain, regardless of how much harm it causes to society.

Corruption is rampant in every part of the world. No country is immune to it. Hence there is only relative corruption. There appears to be a strong correlation of corruption development in a country. Most developed countries have less corruption, in relation to less developed countries – which usually top the list of most corrupt countries. Some of these countries are also lawless states and active warzones.

Corruption is not a recent phenomenon. It has existed since the dawn of Man, and through the ages countless measures and revolutions took place to combat corruption. Fall of Empires, French Revolution in France, Jasmine Revolution in Egypt (and elsewhere in North Africa) to movements initiated by Anna Hazare in India. All took place to combat the scourge of rampant Kleptocracy, Embezzlement, Nepotism, Extortion, Human Trafficking, Drug Trafficking, Bribery, Money Laundering etc.

“Rule of Law” is usually the first casualty in the rise of corruption so as to facilitate corruption, people in authority, enforce restrictions on rights and freedoms to retain power over the public; whereby any actions taken by the public to question and investigate allegations of corruption are met with intimidation or death. Also with the loss of Lawful Governance; the police force, who are supposed to uphold the law, weaken and become tools that power this machine of rot and decay, spreading like gangrene into every part of society, permeating on all levels. The temptation of power and wealth can be summed up in the quote:

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” - John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton.

The empowering of legal watchdogs and mandatory enforcements of the Law is paramount to ensure Rule of Law and restricting corruption. But that is easier said than done, and not always useful, as pointed out by Publius Terentius Afer (195/185–159 BC), better known in English as Terence; A Roman Playwright of Libyan descent:

“Corruptisima re publica plurimae leges” translated as “In the most corrupt state are the most laws”

 Two thousand years ago, Juvenal, the satirist of the corrupt Roman legal system asked, “Quis ustodiet ipsos custodies?” translated as "who will watch the watchers?" This question is timeless. It is not just that power corrupts. Corrupt people seek power and absolutely corrupt people seek absolute power... Nothing has changed much since then, and by the looks of things; they never will.

Terrorism: The Statute of Fear

Terrorism: The Statute of Fear

          “Terrorism” from the French word “Terrorisme” means “The act of terrorizing”. It was coined in France to denote the period after the onset of the French Revolution in which rival factions intimidated and executed political opponents throughout France called “The Reign of Terror” (5 September 1793 – 28 July 1794). The word itself is derived from Latin “Terreo” which means “I Terrify”. The history of terrorism goes back to “Sicarii Zealots” — Jewish extremist group active in Iudaea Province at the beginning of the 1st century AD. After Zealotry rebellion in the 1st century AD, when some prominent collaborators with Roman rule were killed, according to contemporary historian Josephus, in 6 AD Judas of Galilee formed a small and more extreme offshoot of the Zealots, the Sicarii. Their terror also was directed against Jewish "collaborators", including temple priests, Sadducees, Herodians, and other wealthy elites.

        Historically the term referred to the act of “State Terrorism” in which a ruling authority or legitimate government resorted to acts of subterfuge and sabotage against political rivals and/or foreign governments. The earliest mention of the term is “Terror Cimbricus”, which was a state of emergency and panic in the Rome in response to the approach of warriors from the Cimbri Tribe in 105 BC. Nowadays the term refers to any act of violence against an organization. The Encyclopædia Britannica Online defines “Terrorism” generally as "the systematic use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective", and states that "terrorism is not legally defined in all jurisdictions." The encyclopaedia adds that "[e]stablishment terrorism, often called state or state-sponsored terrorism, is employed by governments -- or more often by factions within governments -- against that government's citizens, against factions within the government, or against foreign governments or groups."

         Terrorist Acts can be motivated by any factors such as economic, political, religious or ideological. (e.g Communism vs. Capitalism, Nazism, Religious Warfare, Independence etc.).  As such many terrorist acts have occurred around the world throughout history. Perpetrators of those acts have belonged to various denominations of society. They were religious leaders and political leaders of differing ideologies. Such discrepancies have given rise to a popular aphorism: “One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter”

        On several occasions revolutionaries, freedom-fighters, political figures, religious groups etc. have been labelled as heretics, radicals or terrorists by their respective governing authorities or opponents, such as ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA [Communist Revolutionary active in Cuba], Freedom Fighters fighting Colonial Rule (India, USA, Brazil, Ireland etc.), Various religious groups and sects being persecuted (Protestant vs. Catholics, Zoroastrian Exodus from Islamized Persia etc.), Julian Assange (Founder of Wikileaks branded as terrorist by several politicians).

       Sometimes the act of resorting to terrorism is more out of necessity than anything else. The Somali pirates are a good example of this. Poverty-stricken fisherman at first, they initially took up arms to protect their waters from illegal fishing and the dumping of toxic waste along the Somalian coasts. The successful deterrence of these vessels further bolstered confidence and turned to armed extortion or piracy along the Somali Coastline, which is enroute to the Suez Canal, the most busy shipping waters in the world, which make good ripe targets for extorting wealth in the form of ransoms, which are used in further arming and training the pirates.

         The subject of Terrorism is wide and far-reaching. There are several definitions and perspectives regarding it. Throughout history many terrorist acts have taken place, each with its own agenda. Several thousand lives have been lost because of it and the death toll keeps on rising. Terrorist acts are carried out by Individuals, Groups, Organizations and Nations. They do it for political or economic gains. Independence from a ruling authority or bring into attention their plight on certain issues. Modern terrorism is dominated by cultural divide and encourage by ignorance. The only effective way to rid the world of this menace is by facilitating cultural exchange among different cultures and educating the world about the diversity that inhabits this planet e.g. Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (AIESEC). Born in ashes of WW II Europe, it was formed “to expand the understanding of a nation by expanding the understanding of the individuals, changing the world one person at a time.” Today AIESEC  annually offers “20,000 leadership positions and delivers over 470 conferences to [its] membership of over 60,000 students". AIESEC also runs an international exchange program that enables over 16,000 students and recent graduates the opportunity to live and intern in another country.” The exchange programmes have brought the world a lot closer into a “Global Village” which is a step closer to a truly unified human civilization.

Our Social Consciousness

OUR SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS

As a student writing on social affairs..I often wonder if my articles would make any difference or whether this is essentially exploitative. The dilemma isn’t original. Journalists and photographers struggle with it all the time. Mostly I ignore it. But it niggles.

So, I was commissioned by a children’s charity(during my internship) to interview a single mum it’s been working with. She had five kids; black mould spreads thickly across her kitchen ceiling and down the back wall. One of her daughters, a little girl with asthma, sleeps in a pink bedroom so icily cold..I felt my skin shrink when I looked in (Delhi and its winter) A single photograph of a baby lost to cot death was unobtrusively placed among the many pictures of her other children displayed in the front room.

There’s a housing association building site at the end of the terraced row, but this woman can’t get hold of the rupees 28,000 she needs to secure one of the warm, dry family houses that will soon be available.

I write my piece feeling angry and hopeless. I wrestle with the thought that I should do something to help her… probably give her a lump-sum amount… but I don’t…let’s just say that I can’t.

A year has gone by, and I still wonder if I should have done it. They’re the people of whom I write about (I mean for the school/college magazines) And then I disappear off, my notebook full, my internship ending… and I NEVER see them again. Does this kind of internship/charity-work change anything? I don’t know. It’s what I did, what I could have done.. I know it’s not enough.

I did not pursue that internship because I wanted to stiff as many people as possible. I did it because stuff goes badly wrong in certain bits of public life and in the small way that writing articles allows, I want to ask why – then persuade, cajole, flatter or embarrass people into giving me the answer.

The judgments that I made for my “charity-work” may be taken fast, but they weren’t taken lightly. I loved doing that internship. The access and insight I got was central to why I am still writing / thinking about the job. But returning to my original question, does this kind of charity-work change anything..? The question still un-answered..!

 

                                                                                                                          Devyani

                                                                                                                                    CIM - INDORE

Science vs Religion

 

                                                                          VS
                                                                                                     RELIGION

One of the oldest intellectual debates ever conceived In human history. Who are we? Where do we come from? Why are we here? What is death? Is there life after death? Is there a heaven or hell? If not then what happens to us when we die?

These are some questions that humans have been asking since the dawn of existence. And in an effort to answer them and explain other world phenomenon humans came up with supernatural theories, which later became folklore, which became myths, which became legends, which invariably became religions.

There are many systems of beliefs that exist in the world, and there are many that have existed in the past and are now extinct.

Current Belief Systems (and origins)	Extinct Belief Systems (and origins)
Hinduism (India)	Ancient Egyptian (Egypt)
Jainism (India)	Ancient Greek (Greece)
Sikhism (India)	Ancient Roman (Italy)
Buddhism (India)	Mayan (Mexico)
Judaism (Israel)	Aztec (Mexico)
Christianity (Israel)	Inca (Latin America)
Islam (Mecca – Saudi Arabia)	Norse (Scandinavia)
Zoroastrianism (Persia – Modern day Iran)	Babylon (Present day Iraq)
Baha’i (Persia – Modern day Iran)
Confucianism (China)

Thinkers from every civilization have tackled the question of our origins and the heavens. While religions developed, scientific thought also developed. And for centuries they co-existed peacefully with each other. Scientific advancements yielded newer technologies and advanced maths, which resulted in prosperity for the kingdoms and its people. EVERY civilization made great advancements in astronomy, metallurgy, construction, maths, science, medicine, navigation, military, economics and civics to name a few.

So when did the rift between Religious Doctrine and Science happen? If we look at every individual religion’s relationship with science, we end up with a very strange result. With the exception of a few faith-based belief systems, all others are quite compatible with Science and fully endorse it!

A fundamental principle of the Baha’i faith is the harmony of religion and science. Baha’I scripture asserts that true science and true religion can never be in conflict. Abdu’l- Baha , the son of the founder of the religion, stated that religion without science is superstition and that science without religion is materialism. He also admonished that true religion must conform to the conclusions of science.

Buddhism and science have increasingly been discussed as compatible. Some philosophic and psychological teachings within Buddhism share commonalities with modern Western scientific and philosophical thought. For example, Buddhism encourages the impartial investigation of nature (an activity referred to as Dhamma Vicaya in the Pali Canon)—the principal object of study being oneself. A reliance on causality and empiricism are common philosophical principles shared between Buddhism and science. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14^th Dalai Lama, spends a lot of time with scientists. In his book, "The Universe in a Single Atom" he wrote, "My confidence in venturing into science lies in my basic belief that as in science, so in Buddhism, understanding the nature of reality is pursued by means of critical investigation." and "If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false," he says, "then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims.”

From an Islamic standpoint, science, the study of nature, is considered to be linked to the concept of Tawhid (the Oneness of God), as are all other branches of knowledge. In Islam, nature is not seen as a separate entity, but rather as an integral part of Islam’s holistic outlook on God, humanity, and the world. Unlike the other Abrahamic monotheistic religions, Judaism and Christianity, the Islamic view of science and nature is continuous with that of religion and God. This link implies a sacred aspect “to the pursuit of scientific knowledge” by Muslims, as nature itself is viewed in the Qur'an as “a compilation of signs pointing to the Divine.” It was with this understanding that science was studied and understood in Islamic civilizations, specifically during the eighth to sixteenth centuries, prior to the colonization of the Muslim world. According to most historians, the modern scientific method was first developed by Islamic scientists, pioneered by Ibn Al-Haytham, known to the west as "Alhazen". However, the colonizing powers of the western world and their destruction of the Islamic scientific tradition forced the discourse of Islam and Science in to a new period. Institutions that had existed for centuries in the Muslim world were destroyed and replaced by new scientific institutions implemented by the colonizing powers and suiting their economic, political, and military agendas. This drastically changed the practice of science in the Muslim world, as Islamic scientists had to interact with the western approach to scientific learning, which was based on a philosophy of nature completely foreign to them. From the time of this initial upheaval of the Islamic scientific tradition to the present day, Muslim scientists and scholars have developed a spectrum of viewpoints on the place of scientific learning within the context of Islam, none of which are universally accepted or practiced. However, most maintain the view that the acquisition of knowledge and scientific pursuit in general is not in disaccord with Islamic thought and religious belief.

Hinduism maintains two primary schools of thought regarding Facts and Rationale. Samkhya and Nyaya. From a Hindu perspective, modern science is a legitimate, but incomplete, step towards knowing and understanding reality. Hinduism views that science only offers a limited view of reality, but all it offers is right and correct.

Samkhya, the oldest school of Hindu philosophy prescribes a particular method to analyze knowledge. According to Samkhya, all knowledge is possible through three pramanas (means of valid knowledge)

1. Pratyakṣa or Dṛṣṭam – direct sense perception,
2. Anumāna – Logical inference and
3. Śabda or Āptavacana – verbal testimony.

Nyaya, the Hindu school of logic, accepts all these 3 means and in addition accepts one more - Upmana (comparison).

Also Hindus find support for, or foreshadowing of evolutionary ideas in scriptures, namely the Vedas: The incarnations of Vishnu (Dashavtara) is almost identical to the scientific explanation of the sequence of biological evolution of man and animals. The sequence of avatars starts from an aquatic organism (Matsya), to an amphibian (Kurma), to a land-animal (Varaha), to a humanoid (Narsimha), to a dwarf human (Vamana), to 5 forms of well-developed human beings (Parashurama, Rama, Balarama/Buddha, Krishna, Kalki) who showcase an increasing form of complexity (Axe-man, King, Plougher/Sage, wise Statesman, mighty Warrior). In India, the home country of Hindus; educated Hindus widely accept the theory of biological evolution. In a survey, 77% of respondents in India agreed that enough scientific evidence exists to support Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, and 85 per cent of God-believing people said they believe in evolution as well. An exception to this acceptance is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which includes several members who actively oppose "Darwinism" and the modern evolutionary theory.

Many modern day Jews accept the science of evolution and do not see it as incompatible with traditional Judaism. However some conservatives still maintain the Judeo-Abrahamic Creationist theory, that God made the world in 6 days, rested on the seventh and made ADAM and EVE (the first humans) from Clay and they populated the Earth.

In Christianity the rift is very pronounced. After establishing the Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican, a lot of adjustments were made to make the conversion of the people of the vast Roman Empire as easy as possible, such as shifting the birthday of Jesus Christ to December 25 (Winter Solstice - an auspicious time for Romans). Though there is no historical evidence of his exact date of birth, astronomical evidence points to April 3. Also the name Jesus Christ is not the original name. CHRIST (from GREEK christos, means “the anointed one”) while JESUS is the Hellenised version of Joshua. Moreover Creationist theories are Church sanctioned and as such MUST be followed by the faithful, regardless of scientific evidence, which is labelled as devilry and is as such, frowned upon by many conservatives. They also maintain that the earth is no more than 6000 years old, and dinosaur fossils are God’s methods of testing their faith (actual testimony, believe it or not). Interestingly ISAAC NEWTON was a Creationist, and spent all his life trying to prove the Bible by using Maths. Mechanics and Gravity were pure accidents. However these days more people are opening up to the idea of Scientific Method; Even Pope John Paul II was known to have a soft stance concerning Science.

It can thus be concluded that while many religions are present in the world, very few of them have any real trouble regarding science. In fact, most of them are compatible with modern science, while others are in the process of transforming.


                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                      SUMANT AGNIHOTRI
                                                                                                                                              CIM INDORE

Indian Education System

INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM

As it is always said that a good education system is what a country must possess for the proliferated growth in its economy.

India, before the British Raj, was one of the largest and most flourished economies of the world. It contributed around 25% of the world’s GDP during 3000 BC to 1700 AD. What happened then? A country which was known as the Golden Bird is now nowhere in the world’s economic panorama!

The rot allegedly started  in 1835 with Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay , member of the governing council of the East India Company .When he travelled India for the first time, he wrote a letter to the East India Company saying that:

"I have travelled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation."

This is what happened with our country centuries ago. From that point of time India’s education system is thriving to be efficient enough so that the country can have a stabilized growth rate. India has made progress in terms of increasing primary education attendance rate and expanding literacy to approximately two thirds of the population. India's improved education system is often cited as one of the main contributors to the economic rise of India.

 Despite growing investment in education, 25% of its population is still illiterate; only 15% of Indian students reach high school, and just 7%, of the 15% who make it to high school, graduate. As of 2008, India's post-secondary institutions offer only enough seats for 7% of India's college-age population, 25% of teaching positions nationwide are vacant, and 57% of college professors lack either a master's or PhD degree.

The course curriculum has not been revised from around 20 years. What I am studying in my Engineering is the same as what my parents used to study in their engineering.

Time has changed, technologies have changed, but the course is still the same. How would a person who is studying things which are no longer in practical use will be able to suffice in the world market.

As of 2011, there are 1522 degree-granting engineering colleges in India with an annual student intake of 582,000 plus 1,244 polytechnics with an annual intake of 265,000. However, these institutions face shortage of faculty and concerns have been raised over the quality of education.

Why would an educated person, who has invested lacs of rupees into his education, teach students just for some thousands; which is not at all enough in today’s scenario. The education imparters should not be under estimated by the government because they are the people who can help to provide quality education to the future citizens of India. Not only this but an educated citizen would vote rationally, an educated citizen would govern rationally and, most important of all, he will earn what he deserves.

Being the Changers, it is our duty to aware as many people as possible so that the government at least thinks upon the Education System if not change it.    

                                                                                  THE END

   Archit Karnawat                                                                                                   Jayati Sharma

    Vice – President                                                                                                    Member [CIM]

 

Communications and Information Management

AIESEC Indore website: http://www.aiesecindore.com/

AIESEC Indore Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AIESEC.Indore

Children's Rights

                  
                      CHILDREN'S RIGHTS

    So frequently people hear the words "children's rights" and mistakenly think that this means kids get to stay up late, eat peanut butter - morning, noon and night -and pretty much have, do, and say whatever their little heart desires. But this is NOT what is meant by these words. Children's rights refers to the basic premise that children have a right to grow up in a safe, sane and stable environment. 

    The concept of children's rights does not mean that children are in control. It simply means that they have a right to NOT be abused - mentally or physically, and that they have a right to a stable, predictable home life. 

    Children have a right to be held in high esteem, as treasured members of society. Children have a right to be viewed as little "people" and NOT as "property" of their parents. It is time that we truly understand that children are our MOST valuable and vulnerable members, and are not mere possessions. If we continue to fail in our responsibilities to provide them with these basic rights, we do so at our own peril.

                                                        Safety

    First and foremost, children have a right not to be beaten and abused. It is incomprehensible to understand how anyone could look into the innocent eyes of a child; eyes that look to you for their sustenance and safety, and then beat them with leather belts or hurt them in other sick and twisted ways in the name of discipline. This is a betrayal of a trust that cannot be excused. We as a society have failed to champion this basic right for children. 

    Tragically, the courts continue to give children back to the parents who beat them. Children are being placed in harm's way again and again. Recently, in my colony a person was charged with child abuse for brutally beating his own off springs, yet, he continues to have custody of the child! When someone is charged with property theft, do we let them keep the goods until after their trial? No, we don't - the property in question is immediately impounded and placed into police storage. We don't let bank robbers keep the money until they are proven guilty, so why do we let child abusers keep children until proven guilty?

    Why don't we favor the side of safety, for children and their mothers, in cases of domestic violence? It only makes sense to take children away from the parent accused of abuse until the outcome of the trial, and to keep them away if guilt is determined. Yet, even after victims of domestic violence find the courage to leave the abuser, they will be forced to have continued contact with the abuser because of visitation rights. And sometimes this results in the mother being murdered in front of her children - all because of a court ordered visitation! Recently, a woman was murdered after pleading with the judge not to let the abusive ex-husband back into the family home for visitation. Her pleas went unheard. Unbelievably, this is not the first time this judge ordered a woman into her death, ignoring her pleas for safety, because of a father's "rights" to visitation. These are entirely unacceptable and clearly preventable deaths.

    Even after a father beats his children so severely that he ends up on a child abuse registry he will still have his "rights" to visitation intact. This is because children are seen as his property. There are even cases of known abusers winning full custody of the children. Judges, and social workers do try to put the child's rights to safety, peace and sanity foremost. They do not seem to care about putting children in-between highly conflicted parents and because of this they expose children to the rages of clearly abusive men.

                                                     Stability

    Psychologists tell us that stability is one of the most important factors in a child's development. A predictable environment helps them make sense of the world, and gives them the confidence to try new things. Single moms have special challenges in this regard. Despite their efforts to provide a stable home life, courts frequently upset any possibility for stability in a child's life because of their underlying philosophy that children are property to be divided up equally - like any other piece of property during the divorce or ANY relationship breakdown. This is true even for women who were never married to the father of their child. Few people believe that living arrangements, where children are bounced back and forth like ping-pong balls, are in the best interests of ANY child. Ask any adult if he/she would like to live one week here and one week there, or even alternate weekends in one place and then another. Without exception, everyone will answer with an emphatic "No". Apart from this , nowadays parents are very busy in their professional life and NOT spending quality time with their children only to earn more, so that they can give their children a luxurious life.

    Why do we think these things don't matter? They do. We know that children who are involved in extra curricular activities are much less likely to get into trouble with the law. I believe the reason for this is that they have established a life for themselves, rich in its interests and diversity. They have developed interests that keep them from getting into drugs or criminal activities. The kids that get into criminal activities are bored and have too much time on their hands.

                                                      Sanity 

    Child abuse and domestic violence should not be ignored when determining visitation and custody, yet far too frequently they are. The fact is that SOME children and their mothers NEED the sanity and safety that will only come with permanent separation. Biological fathers should not have any right to continue to tyrannize their children and the child's mother. Their rights should never exceed women and children's basic rights to safety, stability and sanity. For many single moms, living through this nightmare is a special kind of hell, and it most definitely makes it a struggle to find islands of happiness with their children.

     So I conclude by letting you to ponder upon- How many more kids will we let grow up without these basic rights? How many more must grow up in abusive homes or be forced to "visit" with an abuser? From years of research that it is the child's environment today which creates the messed up adults of tomorrow, adults who are unable to contribute to society. Tomorrow's criminals, drug addicts, welfare recipients, and murderers don't spring up from no where - they are created, - forged with repeated abuse today, and we have a responsibility to do our utmost to prevent this. Prevention helps us all.

                                                                                 THE END

                         Archit Karnawat                                                              Likhit Talegaonkar

                         Vice – President                                                                   Member [CIM]

  Communications and Information Management

AIESEC Indore website: http://www.aiesecindore.com/

AIESEC Indore Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AIESEC.Indore