-The Hindustan Times In April, after yet another story of maid abuse came out in the open, a news magazine ran a cover story titled, ‘The new slaves’. While many would cringe at the thought of equating domestic workers with slaves, unfortunately that is exactly how many families treat their domestic help, taking advantage of a crowded labour market, lack of a credible support system for the help, weak implementation of...

Rohtak: Children living at a shelter run by an NGO here were sexually abused, beaten, molested and made to work as labourers on farms and construction sites, a raid by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has uncovered. The girls recounted tales of horror during the raid on Wednesday night at the shelter run by NGO Bharat Vikas Sangh, which won a Haryana state award for women's empowerment in...

Differently-abled children can join any school Parliament passed the Right of Children to Free and compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2012, with the Lok Sabha passing the measure on Wednesday, thereby providing for an integrated education process which would allow differently-abled children in the age group 6-14 the right of admission to any school. Replying to a discussion on the Bill, which the Rajya Sabha had passed earlier, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil...

“No response from CM to abetment complaints against BJP leader, minister” The controversy over the involvement of Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party president Prabhat Jha and Tribal Affairs Minister Harishankar Khatik in the marriage of a minor girl from Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh does not seem to be dying down. After writing to BJP national president Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ajay...

Panel meets Mamata, seeks an action taken report within three months The National Commission for Women (NCW) has expressed deep concern over the reported case of sexual assault on a physically challenged minor girl allegedly by a medical professional at the Bankura Medical Hospital in West Bengal. “The case is extremely distressing considering that the victim is a person of special needs and she was under the care of a doctor, who...