Ariah Shah is the daughter of an Indian couple who was separated from her parents by German authorities on 23 September 2021, when she was just seven months old. He was sent to foster care in Germany by the German Child Services, Jugendamt, after a doctor reported him for suspected sexual abuse.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Ariah Shah was born in February 2021 (age 2 years; as in 2023) in Berlin, Germany. His parents shifted from Gujarat to Berlin, Germany in 2018.
Physical Appearance
Eye Colour: Black
Hair Colour: Black
Family
Ariha Shah belongs to a Gujarati Jain Family.
parents and siblings
Ariha Shah’s father Bhavesh Shah is a software engineer. His mother’s name is Dhara Shah.
Ariah Shah with her parents
What happened to baby Ariha?
In September 2021, when Ariha was only seven months old, her grandparents came to her house to see their adorable grandson. Unfortunately, while Ariha was in her grandmother’s care, she suffered an accidental injury that affected her external genital area. Concerned by the presence of blood in Ariha’s diaper, her parents immediately sought medical attention. The doctor provided treatment and reassured Ariha’s parents about her well-being. However, when Ariha was taken to the hospital for follow-up, the doctor alerted the authorities about a suspected ‘sexual assault’ on Ariha by her parents. Shortly after the arrival of the Jugendamt, the German children’s service at the hospital, Ariha was entrusted with her care, leading to an investigation against her parents on child abuse charges.
Legal battle for custody of Ariha
In response to the situation, the Jugendamt immediately took decisive action by placing the child in foster care, giving his parents limited visitation rights on a biweekly basis. Simultaneously, the authorities filed a case of child sexual abuse against the parents while launching an investigation. However, the assault charges were eventually dismissed, and the parents were charged with negligence instead. Nonetheless, in February 2022, the case against the parents was closed without any formal charges. Despite this result, the child was never reunited with her parents. Instead, the Jugendamt proceeded with a civil custody case, seeking to terminate parental rights and obtain permanent custody of the child. Her parents have been engaged in a legal battle ever since, fighting for custody of their child in the German courts. In 2022, a court-appointed psychologist conducted a detailed evaluation of the parents’ mental well-being. The evaluation concluded that it would be best for the child to live with one parent in a special facility where the other parent can visit regularly. However, due to practical reasons like expiry of Bhavesh’s visa, this arrangement was not possible. Unfortunately, even before the court could decide on the matter, Jugendamt decided to transfer Ariha to a specially designed facility for children with special needs, where she currently resides.
repatriation of baby ariha
The Ministry of Exchange is also making several efforts to bring Ariha back to India. In 2022, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi made a statement which read,
We were disappointed to learn that the child was suddenly transferred away from her current foster parents to a specialized foster care setting… We would like to reiterate that Ariha Shah is an Indian citizen and her nationality and socio-cultural background are the most important determinants of where her foster care will be provided.
he adds,
We are requesting Germany to return the child to India. The Embassy has repeatedly urged the German authorities to ensure that Ariha’s connection with her cultural, religious and linguistic background is not compromised and has sought consular access to the child as well as cultural immersion at the Indian Cultural Center in Berlin.
In an extraordinary display of co-operation between politicians from different parties, 59 Members of Parliament representing 19 political parties together wrote a letter on 2023. The letter was addressed to the German ambassador in New Delhi, Philipp Ackermann, and was intended to request his assistance in ensuring the safe return of Ariah Shah, a child who had been in foster care in Berlin for over 20 months. The MPs urged Ambassador Ackermann to do everything within his power to bring Ariha back to India as soon as possible. read the letter
India can take care of its children very well. We request you to consider how your country would feel if a German child was forcibly placed in Indian foster care. The Indian government has formally asked the German government to return the child to a Jain foster family in India under the care of Indian child welfare authorities.
The signatories to the joint letter include notable Members of Parliament from various political parties. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Shashi Tharoor from Congress, Hema Malini and Maneka Gandhi from BJP, Kanimozhi from DMK, Supriya Sule from NCP, Mahua Moitra from TMC, Ram Gopal Yadav from SP, Manoj Jha from SP, Sanjay Singh from RJD, Elamaran Karim and John Brittas from CPM, Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Akali Dal, Kunwar Danish Ali from BSP, Priyanka Chatur from Shiv Sena (UBT) Vedi, Binoy Vis. Left from CPI, and Farooq Abdullah from National Conference.
Protest organized by people in support of Ariah Shah’s return to India
facts/common sense
- Although her family follows a strict vegetarian diet, Ariha was fed a non-vegetarian diet while in foster care.
- The case of Ariha Shah bears a striking resemblance to the case of Sagarika Chakraborty. In 2011, Norwegian authorities removed two of her children from her custody, alleging “inadequate parenting”. Hindi film ‘Mrs. ‘Chatterjee vs Norway’ (2023), starring Rani Mukerji, was inspired by Chakraborty’s uphill battle to reunite with her children.
Mrs Chatterjee v Norway
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn