Press Release for Father's Day Rally by CRISP

PRESS RELEASE

CRISP is an NGO formed in 2008, by people who recognize the serious effects of Parental Alienation of children due to single parent families on account of divorce or separation. CRISP fights against alienation of children from their parent(s) in the ever increasing divorce/ separation rates in the social realities of our contemporary society. CRISP also focuses on furthering the rights of children to remain connected with both biological parents. We are a pro-family and a pro-life organization, our aims and objectives are to promote family harmony in our society and are based on research findings. We are a large group of people from all walks of life, like software engineers, doctors, teachers, businessmen, social workers, etc. which includes women and senior citizens, to address this burning issue in our society.

CRISP has organized National Father's Day Rally on Saturday, the 18th June, 2011 between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM at TOWN HALL STEPS, JC ROAD, Bangalore, to demand FAMILY LAW REFORMS, highlight the grievances of Fathers deprived of access to their children and children to their fathers due to biased laws and failure of our  judicial, legislative and executive systems on all fronts on this sensitive matter and a serious human rights issue, this protest dharna is on behalf of our children, who are voiceless victims & protect their rights to be connected to both biological parents.

Father's Day is celebrated worldwide to honor the contribution of ‘Fathers’. In India also the Father's day is being celebrated since many years as an expression of love and tribute to the Fathers. Present day fathers are actively involved in parenting their children in every way and in all spheres of their development. In the changed scenario of our family system, especially in cities the role of the father is paramount and must be recognized equally along with the Mother. Shared parenting is the only solution for the normal growth of children whose parents are separated.

Divorce rates are unfortunately going up substantially (over 30% and increasing) year on year, especially in educated & urban class people. There are more than 17,000 cases in the Family Courts of Bangalore alone, pending disposal and lakhs of cases still pending in various cities in our country. CRISP is concerned with the growing custody battles between the parents and the ill effects on the children due to their parents' separation. We speak for the rights of the innocent impacted Children who are deprived of the love and affection of both their natural parents and shared parenting is the only alternative arrangement to spend quality time with both its natural parents, since parents divorce is inevitable in the present day world & lifestyle of people

The traditional Indian Value system has undergone a sea change from the olden days where the mother was the nurturer and the father a provider to the child. Present day fathers are actively involved, physically and emotionally in parenting children and are equally competent in taking care of the needs of the child and take on the responsibilities of child upbringing and are in no way inferior to the mother. The anti-father mindset is not valid, but still persists in our archaic and cruel systems. Typically in divorce and separation cases, one of the parents, out of revenge against the other parent deprives the child of the love, affection and care of the other parent. This is one of the worst forms of child abuse, as the children suffer the consequences of permanent psychological damage from resulting disorders like Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) and Reactive Associative Disorders that warp a child’s development. Studies have shown that there is a tendency for such children to become criminals in their later years, for which the society and our system are directly responsible. Please see CRISP website https://www.crisp-india.org for details.

Child Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting (CRISP), demands the following immediate Family Law reforms:

1.      Grant immediate and equal (child) access to separated parents who are keen to take care of their children as a practice. Legislate law to make this mandatory.

2.      Conduct compulsory counseling on SHARED PARENTING to educate parents of its benefits for the welfare of the child, before family courts grant the decree of divorce.

3.      Punish people who misuse laws, particularly 498A (Dowry Act) and Domestic Violence Act as a tool to deprive the father & his family members of child access.

4.      Set up special courts to deal with child custody cases and address problems faced by parents deprived of any visitation/joint custody as top priority.

5.      All custody/ visitation cases should be disposed off, within 3 months of application in the family courts in the best interest of children.

6.      Ban child interviews when the children are of tender age, which have not had adequate access with the non-custodial parent.

7.      Parents who don't follow court orders pertaining to children should be punished as per law and also declared unfit to be a guardian for the child.

8.      CRISP urges a separate Union Ministry for Children and to de-link the same from the present Women and Child Development ministry, since the objectives are different.

9.      Employ psychologists / child psychologists as Mediators in mediation centers & discourage lawyers acting as mediators.

10.  Create a Family Court website and make available all the information on this (emulate the High Court example) the case list in the previous day.

11.  India must accede to United Nation's Convention of International Parental Child Abduction, which is long overdue.

12.  Provide a crèche and children’s area in the family court premises where childcare can be provided and child-parent bonding & companionship promoted. This also ensures immediate access to the deprived parent & tender age children and helps in their bonding.

13.  Evening courts should be set up so that litigants need not have to apply for leave in matrimonial disputes.

14.  Implement RTI act seriously in family court matters.

CRISP’s Achievements 

1.    CRISP was invited by the parliament recently where we successfully presented our recommendations on issues pertaining  to child rights and welfare on account of irretrievable breakdown of marriages and on female feticide in the years 2010 & 2011

2.    Educated the system about the concept of SHARED PARENTING and its advantages in various part of the country through seminars and workshops.

3.    More then 10,000 members across the globe and growing.

4.    Weekly meetings successfully launched various centers in the country to give mutual support in counseling and legal awareness.

5.    National Commission for Protection Child Rights (NCPCR) a Government of India undertaking has appreciated CRISP for educating the society and legal fraternity on the significance of Shared Parenting

6.    Launched website: www.crisp-india.org where average visitor rate exceeding more then 1000 & victims make use of the knowledge and information posted on the web-site and which is the first of its kind in the country pertaining to child custody matters.

7.    Even mothers who have been deprived of child custody are members of CRISP and working for its goals of Joint custody and Shared Parenting.

8.    We have successfully prevented many suicide attempts of deprived fathers by counseling from our NGO experts & got them the child visitation rights.

9.    CRISP has made a representations to Chief Justice of India, WCD Ministry and law commission signed by over 700 people requesting shared parenting among others and awaiting suitable action from the concerned authorities and also to adhere to UN's Child's Rights Convention.

As per the research done by the multiple organizations across the globe, it reveals shocking information, that children deprived of their Father’s care are:

·         5 times more likely to commit suicide

·         9 times more likely to dropout of high school

·         14 times more likely to end up as Rapist

·         20 times more likely to end up in Prison or  become drug addicted

·         32 times more likely to runaway from home.

There is no doubt that fathers’ involvement in child care cannot be substituted by anybody in the world. “A Father is better than hundred teachers!" Joint custody and SHARED PARENTING are the BEST SOLUTIONS in divorce and parental separation.

Even though children constitute about 40% of country’s population, they are voiceless victims thus to create public awareness on this highly sensitive subject and human rights issue, We appeal & invite our media friends to kindly grace this occasion and rededicate ourselves to save the children from fatherless-ness and save their childhood & ensure their happiness since they are the future assets of the nation & media plays very important role in educating the citizens and various social organizations.

Speakers for the press conference are:

·         Kumar V Jahgirdar  (President)

·         Sivakumar Challa (Secretary)

·         Jayanth T.K (Counselor)

·         Avinash Kumar (Counselor)

·         Roshni Mathan (Social Activist)