A glance at the Facebook page for Madhumita Gupta (who goes by Madhu) might lead you to believe she’s just an average Palo Alto teenager- goofing around with selfies and clowning with her friends. But unlike other 15-year old teens, Madhu’s passion for human rights inspired her to publish an editorial in The Times of India calling for action to protect children.
Madhu spent her elementary school years in India and moved to Palo Alto in time to attend Jordan Middle School before transitioning to Palo High School, where she is a sophomore. “We return to India every summer for vacation, but this year I decided to do a project focused on child issues,” Madhu explained. While staying in Chandigarh with her family, Madhu connected with the regional Chair of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to learn more about its impact.
Although the mandate of the NCPCR is to advocate for children’s rights in India, Madhu found that the Commission is falling far short of its lofty goals. “The Chairwoman was basically the only person working to implement the NCPCR’s laws in a city of almost a million people,” Mandhu said. “And I noticed that the timeframes for the laws were all off; the law establishing the NCPCR was passed in 2007 but the Commission was not established until 2011.”
While these revelations were interesting, it was the stories of children in India that inspired Madhu to action. “One 16-year old girl went to the police seeking protection from her abusive family but the officers told her not to press charges because of her ‘bad reputation,’” she explained. “Because the law is not enforced, she was not protected from further abuse.”
When she returned to Palo Alto, Madhu wrote her editorial urging more enforcement for the laws protecting children and sent it to the Times of India. She is pleased that it was published but not sure about its impact. “The online comments are supportive but I don’t know if it will make a difference because I am so far away,” Madhu said.
So she’s using her inspiration to help children here at home. An active member of the Paly Speech and Debate Team, Madhu also started a program teaching debate to middle school students in East Palo Alto. “I want to explore how to help students
Madhu posted this image on her facebook page. She is putting these words into action by speaking out for children in India.
gain civil rights, both here and India,” she said.
And what’s perhaps most compelling here is that Madhu decided to do this project and editorial because of her interest in children, not because of a school assignment. Madhu is proving that this generation of young people in Palo Alto have the drive and determination to make the world better all on their own.
