It is important to counsel the parents, not punish them
It looks like the law in Norway is not based on reasonable restrictions. This recent conviction of the Indian couple for ill-treatment of their son seems to be irrational. Good law or legislation is based on reasonable restriction and not stringent action, in order to maintain human relationships.
A parent and child relationship is very delicate and important. The role of the administration or law is to preserve this relationship and not break it. If the physical harassments by the parents in this case is true, we should condemn it. However, it does not mean you take away or detach the child from the parents as it can lead to worse consequences for the child.
If there are some emotions or psychological issues, it can’t be resolved by just taking stringent actions. The other effective way of dealing with this issue is by counselling the parents. In this particular case, India should intervene but not by trying to bail out the couple. Instead, it should request the Norway government to show some leniency.
—Asim Sarode, human rights activist
If the child has been abused, it is violation of his rights
The court rulings in terms of the cultural practice will always be different in India and Norway. I presume the Norway court has considered all the facts and evidences before taking such a stern action of throwing the parents behind bars. If the child has been abused as described by the court then it clearly means child rights violation and is just not acceptable. Hence, I don’t see any point for the Indian government to intervene in this case. There is no basis for India to bail out the couple.
—Jaya Sagde, Vice Principal, ILS College
Imprisonment might send a wrong signal to jailed couple
Firstly, Chandrasekhar Vallabhaneni was living with his family initially abroad. They didn’t have the back-up or support of their parents, relatives which we are traditionally used to in our country. Added to that is the pressure of working in IT sector, which has long working hours, hence lesser time for the children.
Also, one of the children is suffering from asthma while the other child in question, is hyperactive with an ‘attention disorder’. This poses a huge challenge for the parents who sadly have to deal with the given problems alone. Hence, the physical abuse afflicted is a ‘reaction’ of the parents to the behaviour displayed by the child. This brings to light a much larger issue, which is there is no training given for ‘parenting’ that is an integral part of human life. I strongly believe that parental training is the solution to resolve these problems and not imprisonment or any form of ‘punishment’.
In fact, imprisonment might send a wrong signal to the parents and they might become negative towards the child. I feel the government should intervene in this case and press for the ‘correction’ of the parents through counselling and training, instead of putting them behind bars.
—Madhuri Sahasrabudhe, Corporator
Undue support should not be given if the couple is at fault
The case must be thoroughly studied as there are two versions of the same story coming out through the media. There are allegations that the laws in western countries like Norway are culturally-biased. If there is conclusive evidence that the parents have committed child abuse as mentioned by the Oslo court then India should neither intervene nor try to bail out the couple. Every country tries to protect its citizens based in other countries as they are unaware of the prevailing laws. If the couple really needs support then yes India should extend whatever help possible. But undue support should not be given if the couple is at fault. Our government should however monitor if proper justice is being meted out or not.
—Anuradha Sahasrabuddhe, Child Rights Activist
Law is responsible for setting an example in society
If the Indian couple is tried by the law in Norway on substantial evidence and been given an equal opportunity to prove their innocence then why should India interfere? Child abuse is the same whether it is committed in Norway or India and the abusers must be punished. Just because they are parents to the child they have abused does not mean leniency should be shown towards them. What is the guarantee that the couple will not ill-treat their child again if they are released after counselling? The law also has the responsibility to set an example in society that such crimes will not be tolerated. Instead of intervening, Indian government must ensure that justice is not denied to the couple as they are citizens of India.
—Cinoo Thorat, Citizen
