A group of child rights activists has written to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin alleging violation of child rights during the recent evictions, particularly in Govindasamy Nagar in Raja Annamalaipuram here.
In its letter sent on Saturday, the group appealed to the Chief Minister to ensure that evictions were not done when the academic year was in progress or when the students were in the midst of preparing for the examinations. They appealed to the government to opt for eviction of people residing in government land only when in situ rehabilitation was not possible. Even in case of evictions, alternative housing should be provided within 5 km and not in far away places, they said.
They pointed out that 88% of the evictions done between 2015 and 2020 happened during the academic year. In the case of Govindasamy Nagar, the eviction happened when children were preparing for their annual exams in schools. Families with children facing board examinations alone were exempted after plea from the locals. In the absence of any social impact assessments prior to eviction, the activists said that the government did not have adequate information on the children residing in the locality.
They argued that eviction process was traumatic for children, owing to the sudden appearance of police personnel and bulldozers around their homes. The experience of losing home, accompanied with an increased vulnerability of the family, could lead to prolonged psychological trauma and stress for the children, they said.
The eviction violated the United Nations Basic Principles and Guidelines on Development-based Evictions and Displacement, which stipulate that evictions must not violate rights of children and must not be carried out before or during school examinations. Moreover, the inadequate availability of schools in resettlement sites like Perumbakkam affected the children and violated the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, they said.
Apart from ensuring the rights of children, they appealed to the government to evolve a policy framework for regularisation of settlements in unobjectionable governmental land. They also urged the government to strengthen its arguments in the court regarding Govindasamy Nagar to explore options other than eviction.
The signatories of the petition included Girija Kumarbabu, Aruna Rathnam, Bimla Chandrasekar, A. Devaneyan, Charu Govindan, Stegana Jency, Deepak Nathan, Virgil D. Samy, Vanessa Peter, Esther Mariaselvam, A.D. Nundiyny and a few others.
ENDS
