74 1 RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN
Supreme Court of India had laid down clear guidelines in respect of the adoption of
Indian children by foreign nationals. Unfortunately, in most of such cases, poverty and
illiteracy were the main cause for the giving-up of the child. The Commission
considered the issue in a meeting on 26 April 2001 and further directions were given
to the State Government. The State Government subsequently sent a detailed report
indicating how it would deal with the problem. In the light of that report, the
Commission closed the proceedings before it. However, at the request of Smt. Shanti
Reddy, a Member of the National Commission for Women, who is working with cases
involving the sale of babies by Lambada tribals for adoption, a high-level meeting was
convened by the Commission where the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment and Director, Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) were present.
The officials present agreed to review cases where foreign parents were not found
suitable in adopting such babies.
G] Women's Human Rights Cell in National
Human Rights Commission
7.26 Keeping in view the large number of complaints being received by the
Commission relating to women, including allegations of non-registration or noninvestigation of dowry deaths, sexual harassment of women at the work-place,
instances of rape, outraging of the modesty of women, abuse of girl children and
kidnapping, the Commission has set up a Women's Human Rights Cell within the
Commission's Law Division. The Cell is scrutinising all complaints/cases relating to
the death or harassment of women and the girl children, including those relating to
dowry demands and rape cases. All fresh complaints received on these subjects are
being processed by this Cell, while cases on this subject which are presently being
processedin the various Sections of the Law Division, are also being transferred to this
Cell. The Cell is functioning in co-ordination with the Research Division.
NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION