he number of orphaned children living in the long-disputed region of Kashmir has reached an estimated 25,000. Gulf News reports that women and children have been the worst-hit during the decades of political violence in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Widows in the region are thought to number 9,000.
In 1947, India and Pakistan gained independence from Britain, but the fate of the northern state of Kashmir remained uncertain. In the months and years that followed, fighting broke out between Pakistani forces and the Indian army. Today, as noted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report, Humanitarian Action for Children 2012, “the final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not been agreed upon by the parties.”
According to the BBC, a large number of Indian soldiers remain deployed along the 740 kilometre Line of Control that divides the contested region between India and Pakistan.
Sakina Itoo is the Minister of the Department of Social Welfare. She is also the country’s only female minister.
The ministry’s assistance programmes already cover aid and rehabilitation to most of these women and children, she said, adding that she is personally monitoring the situation.
Meanwhile, created in 1996, the Jammu and Kashmir Rehabilitation Council is giving monetary aid to more than 51,200 widows and almost 2,900 elderly persons who sons were killed in during the militant struggle, leaving them with no financial support. The council is also supporting the education of orphans.
Those particularly vulnerable, said Minister Itoo, are widows whose parents and in-laws will not accept them back into their families. These women have been pushed to the margins of society and are not covered by pensions.
However, if they are feeling entrepreneurial, they can apply for loans from the Women’s Development Corporation (WDC) to start their own businesses. According to their website, the WDC was incorporated in 1991 and began functioning in 1994 with a special focus on helping families living below the poverty line.
Some of the organization’s objectives include promoting women entrepreneurs, empowering women through income generating units and providing soft loans, providing activities for skill upgrades and training, and forming self-help groups.
To widows who have no form of assistance, Minister Itoo says, “My doors are always open for them."
Some advocates from local non-governmental groups, however, believe that the true number of widows may be much higher than the 9,000 estimated.
A report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), World Report 2012, found that the discovery of 2,730 bodies in 38 unmarked grave sites in Jammu and Kashmir by the State Human Rights Commission is a good first step for providing justice to the victims of the conflict.
World Report 2012 was released on Sunday. It examines the situation of human rights in more than 90 countries across the globe during last year. The findings reflect the investigative work of HRW and its partners on-the-ground.
Widows in the region are thought to number 9,000.
In 1947, India and Pakistan gained independence from Britain, but the fate of the northern state of Kashmir remained uncertain. In the months and years that followed, fighting broke out between Pakistani forces and the Indian army. Today, as noted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report, Humanitarian Action for Children 2012, “the final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not been agreed upon by the parties.”
According to the BBC, a large number of Indian soldiers remain deployed along the 740 kilometre Line of Control that divides the contested region between India and Pakistan.
Sakina Itoo is the Minister of the Department of Social Welfare. She is also the country’s only female minister.
The ministry’s assistance programmes already cover aid and rehabilitation to most of these women and children, she said, adding that she is personally monitoring the situation.
Meanwhile, created in 1996, the Jammu and Kashmir Rehabilitation Council is giving monetary aid to more than 51,200 widows and almost 2,900 elderly persons who sons were killed in during the militant struggle, leaving them with no financial support. The council is also supporting the education of orphans.
Those particularly vulnerable, said Minister Itoo, are widows whose parents and in-laws will not accept them back into their families. These women have been pushed to the margins of society and are not covered by pensions.
However, if they are feeling entrepreneurial, they can apply for loans from the Women’s Development Corporation (WDC) to start their own businesses. According to their website, the WDC was incorporated in 1991 and began functioning in 1994 with a special focus on helping families living below the poverty line.
Some of the organization’s objectives include promoting women entrepreneurs, empowering women through income generating units and providing soft loans, providing activities for skill upgrades and training, and forming self-help groups.
To widows who have no form of assistance, Minister Itoo says, “My doors are always open for them."
Some advocates from local non-governmental groups, however, believe that the true number of widows may be much higher than the 9,000 estimated.
A report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), World Report 2012, found that the discovery of 2,730 bodies in 38 unmarked grave sites in Jammu and Kashmir by the State Human Rights Commission is a good first step for providing justice to the victims of the conflict.
World Report 2012 was released on Sunday. It examines the situation of human rights in more than 90 countries across the globe during last year. The findings reflect the investigative work of HRW and its partners on-the-ground.
