Citizens for Justice and Peace
Increase in child marriages, a side effect of Lockdown? Avenues for education and employment shut, child marriage on the rise in West Bengal’s poorest areas
19-Aug-2021
It is well known that there has been a huge imbalance in access to digital education during the Covid-19 Lockdown. However, there has been another sinister fallout that is yet to create the outrage it should have, across India… the increase in cases of child marriages. According to the Department of Women and Child Welfare,…
We helped 4400 families in UP with your support CJP team in Purvanchal has been battling poverty and unemployment
04-Aug-2021
CJP team in Purvanchal has been breaking boundaries by battling poverty and unemployment. Amidst the pandemic and lockdown, we distributed 4400 family kits that also consisted of masks made by the women of Purvanchal. We have also been distributing sanitary pads to underprivileged young women. We created awareness about the pandemic, reached out to the…
Small town barbers trimming their own needs to survive Lockdowns may be lifting, however customers are yet to return to the local saloons
27-Jul-2021
The neighbourhood barber shops were more than a place to seek regular grooming, these ‘saloons’ as they are popularly called were more like a club. For instance, the men’s saloons were the one place where the entire neighbourhood’s gossip was discussed. Yes, men gossip, especially when at the barber. And the said barber would all…
Warp and weft of distress in Shantipur West Bengal’s weaving industry has suffered greatly due to the Covid-19 Lockdown
09-Jul-2021
The Covid-19 Lockdown may soon ease off in West Bengal, however there has been massive damage done already, as it virtually cut off livelihoods of weavers and workers associated with the textile industry. The lockdown is said to have affected over six lakh registered workers associated with the weaving industry. The worst affected districts, according…
Covid-19 attacks the lungs, but we are worried about our empty stomachs: Migrant Workers Without employment or income, their lives seem to be in a permanent lockdown
18-Jun-2021
The lockdown may be easing in some cities, and extending in some, but nothing is the same anymore for those who can only eat one meal a day. In this little hamlet deep in West Bengal, the morning azaan from the mosque, and the sounds of the first train rushing on the tracks nearby, wakes up Surmara,…
A ray of hope is all we need How Uttarakhand’s Van Gujjars are rebuilding relationships with villagers
04-Jun-2021
Uttarakhand is home to the Van Gujjars, the nomadic community to which I belong. We traditionally breed cows, buffalos of a special breed called Gojri, and even horses, and earn a livelihood by selling milk and milk products. A defining factor of this community is that we migrate according to the season. In the summer…
Bitter sweet lives of honey collectors Surviving crouching tigers, stinging bees and stringent Lockdown restrictions to keep alive a traditional form of livelihood
01-Jun-2021
For centuries the golden floral forest honey from the Sundarbans has travelled across the world, but the stories of those who collect it, just float on the delta and into the Bay of Bengal. There is no typically easy way to get to the world-famous Sundarbans, but even the most difficult journey to this vast…
Covid-19: Which states fared worst and why? Examining the role of misplaced priorities and poor planning
29-May-2021
The second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic has surely been aggravated by a casual attitude towards world trends and an absence of preparedness overall. Election rallies and religious gatherings where hundreds of thousands gathered unchecked were allowed. The second wave has been reportedly fueled by two variants- B.1.617 (that was first found in December, 2020…
Meet Ramu Ghumman, the happiest man in Vasai A labourer who eats only when he earns, yet never complains
29-May-2021
He sat there going about his work quietly, when I approached him. I did not want to startle him and had just taken a candid photo of him. I wanted to show it to the old man and ask if I could use it for my report. I wanted to know his name and age.…
Covid-19: Which states fared well and why? Examining the role of higher public spending and better management of resources
28-May-2021
The pandemic while bringing on a sea of tragedies for Indians, has exposed the unpreparedness of callous governments which left people to the mercy of an over-burdened and a structurally weak health system. While the enormity of the second wave of Covid in India caught the central as well as state governments off guard, the…