Letter to Czech Ambassador:
New Delhi
October 9, 2015
His Excellency Milan Hovorka,
Ambassador of the Czech Republic,
Embassy of the Czech Republic,
50 M Niti Marg
New Delhi – 110021
Letter of Appreciation and Support regarding the humanitarian and child-friendly intervention of the Czech Republic in the case of the persecution of Czech family, Michalakova, by Child Protection Authorities in Norway
Excellency,
We, the undersigned, are following with deep concern the case of the Czech Michalakova boys in Norway who have been snatched from their parents by Child Protection Authorities (Barnevernet) in Norway. We understand that the siblings have been separated into different foster homes, their rights to their parents have been permanently terminated and the younger boy has been placed for forced adoption in Norway.
We are shocked to see the Norwegian authorities taking such brutal steps when the boys have grandparents and aunts in the Czech Republic who have been appealing to the Norwegian authorities to be given the boys. This is a gross denial of the boys’ right to their family and to being raised in the culture of their origins.
We have had similar experiences of children of Indian parents in Norway being snatched by Barnevernet which refuses to release such children for repatriation to their extended family in India. In the cases where efforts against the Norwegian authorities to reunite families have been successful, the children are thriving, happy and well-settled in India.
There indeed appears to be a severe humanitarian crisis in countries like Norway with despotic and, often racist, Child Protection Authorities snatching children from parents on spurious grounds and denying them a relationship even with extended family members.
We would like to express our appreciation and support for the Czech Government’s robust humanitarian intervention in the Michalakova case. We wish you success in this laudable and child-friendly endeavour. We express our sympathies to the brave mother of the boys, Eva Michalakova, in her battle to regain custody of her children.
Endorsements are continuing to come in even as we send this letter. We will keep the Czech Embassy informed of new endorsements via e-mail.
Yours sincerely,
Suranya Aiyar, Lawyer, Anti-CPS Activist and Mother-of-two
Vinod Tikoo, National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (Retired)
Dr Nandita Chaudhary, Department of Human Development and Childhood Studies, Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi
Dr Garga Chatterjee, Research Affiliate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Assistant Professor, Indian Statistical Institute
Dr S. Ravi Rajan, Faculty Member, Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz
Dr. S Aiyar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kumar Sundaram, Editor, AsiaProgressive.com and Activist against Nuclear Energy
Prasant Sudhakaran, Management Consultant
Gitanjali Aiyar, Consultant, formerly News Anchor, Doordarshan National Television
Arun Dohle, Executive Director, Against Child Trafficking (child rights organisation)
Anjali Tara Babanrao Pawar, Director, Sakhee (child rights organisation)
Mohua Chatterjee, Writer
Sauman Das Gupta, Co-ordinator: Innovation, Indian School of Innovation Sustainability and Planet
Saket Shukla, Lawyer
Basabi Basu, General Manager, AEI Internet Inc and Founder Member, Wisdom Foundation
Tapan Basu
Ravi Singh
Manoj Kumar Bosumatary, Social Worker
Sagarika Chakraborty, mother of two and former victim of Barnevernet persecution in Norway
Abhigyan Bhattacharya, son of Sagarika Chakraborty, snatched from his family at age 2 years in 2011 by Barnevernet, happily re-united with his mother in India
Aishwarya Bhattacharya, daughter of Sagarika Chakraborty, snatched from her family at age 5 months in 2011 by Barnevernet, happily re-united with her mother in India
Manotosh Chakraborty, retired corporate executive, father of Sagarika Chakraborty and grandfather of Abhigyan and Aishwarya
Shikha Chakraborty, homemaker, mother of Sagarika Chakraborty and grandmother of Abhigyan and Aishwarya
Leanne Pereira Nygard
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