The title of this post I think, is pretty cool. One can write a novel titled thus. Imagine, what a bestseller it’d make: Annie Sobs Again…

What I’m talking about instead is about our bleeding heart Annie whom this blog had covered earlier. Her heart bleeds for street children. Again.

One of the concern that events at Nithari have brought back into focus - though we really do try hard to keep pushing it back into the place its burrowed out of; out of sight and mind and conversation - is child abuse.

And again.

About 10 percent, i.e., about 36,500 children are lucky enough to find their way into various facilities like juvenile institutions, homes, shelters, or other state-supported infrastructure. There is zero guarantee that they will be safe and happy here. But their chances of suvival, of not being isolated, and not being physically, sexually or economically abused are higher, as compared to their chances on the streets. Those who don’t live in families or in state-run facilities end up in private institutions where, thanks to a poor monitoring mechanism, they sometimes find themselves abused. Something like this happened at the Swami Balnath Ashram in Ghaziabad.[...] Some of them were severely malnourished but it was hard to say whether that is neglect or whether that is because they have recently arrived and they came from poor homes. Some girls had injuries and scars, which they refused to explain. A few seemed very sick and in urgent need of medical attention. Balnath, the saffron-clad swami, claimed that one girl had been in and out of hospital. That she’d needed a saline drip. To me, she looked very much like she still needed to be in hospital and still needed a saline drip. Probably a lot more.

I sincerely share her concern for these poor abused, victimized kids and the brutes should be severely punished. But as is her wont, Annie simply shows us only part of the story.

For every Balnath Ashram, you have scores of Churches where this kind of thing occurs so often that it is commonplace now. To an extent that it is not even newsworthy.

Before I leave, Annie rather predictably marshalls the usual suspects to shore up her case.

Inu Annie Stephen, a strategy alliance coordinator for the Childline India Foundation, knows that the resource crunch is frustrating and limiting, especially when it comes to special services attuned to needs.

LOL. Childline India Foundation is one of those innumerable “NGOs” which are simply garbs for Christian evangelism. It is part of the Child Rights Information Network, whose stated motto and mission is to establish

….Christ’s Kingdom among all people and in all areas of life; to share the life of Christ through evangelism, healing ministries, education and social services; to develop bonding links and partnership with women of other Christian Churches, ecumenical bodies, and the United Nations in promoting peace and justice.

And more predictably, Inu Annie Stephen quotes that other outfit established by the arch-evangelist of all time, “Mother” Theresa, as saying:

We have emergency services and organisations like the Missionaries of Charity, but even NGOs get fed up of our requests.

Annie, we know you’re well-intentioned but please try not to omit uncomfortable facts the next time you write on “social issues.” Paedophiles come in various disguises, and not all of them wear saffron robes. Some adorn themselves with cassocks, aprons, tunicles, and stoles.