Chain reaction to a child's addiction

In the heart of the Capital, a juvenile spends his days in shackles as that's the response his family has devised to keep him off substance abuse

He is eight years old. But Bharat's (name changed) life is very different from that of his peers. He isn't allowed to play or go to school. The picture on the right best sums up his story.


In a bind: Bharat (name changed) has eight siblings. His father died
three years ago. pic/mid day

His mother Shiv Kumari claims Bharat is a junkie. He's addicted to alcohol and drugs. And the family has no other option but to keep him in chains, in order to stop him from consuming the habit-forming substances.

"Bharat keeps bad company. He used to take drugs with his friends and even consumed leftover liquor from discarded bottles near wine and beer shops. We are extremely worried about him. To control his bad habits we tied him up with a lock and chain. We don't want to hurt him but we have no options left," said Shiv Kumari, a resident of Shashi Garden near Mayur Vihar in east Delhi.

Money woes
Bharat's father Rajanan Singh was a rickshaw-puller. He passed away three years ago. Shiv Kumari was working as a labourer but she had to leave her job because of poor health. Bharat's elder brother Santosh works as a waiter and they have some income also from the renters in the house. But Shiv Kumari has nine children and the family's monthly income is about five thousand rupees. Some of the kids go to school but they also work as rag pickers on the side.

"We came from Siwan district of Bihar 33 years ago and bought this house in east Delhi. But when my husband expired, the family's fortunes went downhill. My children hardly go to school because of monetary problems. We don't have money for Bharat's treatment," Shiv Kumari added.

Bharat's addiction has grown stronger with time. "Last week he somehow managed to unlock his chain and ran away. We searched but couldn't find him. Finally he returned in the morning and we smelt of whitener used in printing and publishing. He often sniffs on them," said Rajkumar, a tenant in the house.

Wrong approach
But experts say this is no way to tackle the problem."This has been seen on many occasions and from every strata of society that parents torture their kids for de-addiction. But such steps don't have the desired effect. In fact, they make the victim feel wretched and lonely. If the victim feels that his family is torturing him then the results can be devastating, especially for children. They might start stealing and committing other crimes to provide for the drugs. The treatment of such addictions should be in a clinical manner like psychological counselling and going to de-addiction centres," said Ajay Pal Singh, a senior psychologist.

Clueless
Local cops said they were unaware of the matter as the victim spends most of the time inside the house. "We have no information about this. If the child is found in chains then we will definitely take action," said a police officer.

"Legal action should be taken immediately in this case under juvenile justice act. The child needs care, counselling and medicine and we will provide him all this as soon as possible. This is a very serious issue and urgent response is needed," said Rakesh Sengar, Additional Secretary of the NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan.