A humane example

The pictures of two women published in this paper yesterday, before and after they were rescued in mentally decrepit condition from the streets and treated and reunited with their families, is heart warming. But for this act of compassion of Shamim Ahmed, a banker, and his Samaritan friend these two women might never have come back to normality, much less, restored to their families. In the absence of an active state-run social welfare service, it remains on the lone shoulders of people like Shamim to save the mentally ill living uncared for in the streets. His relentless effort coupled with his remarkable big heartedness has made him worthy of emulation.

Of the thousands of mentally ill in the country, the most hapless are those who live in the streets and have to fend for themselves. Out in this savage world, with no one to provide for them is brutal as it is, these victims of fate face daily humiliation and are ostracized by the society in general. It is even worse for mentally ill women, whose sufferings are manifold especially because of the social stigma associated with the disease. Homeless, they live off the dole and face torture, harassment and abuse.

We urge the government to extend a helping hand at the micro level, especially to people like Shamim and his friend. Assistance could be proffered in many ways including helping to rehabilitate such people after they have been cured, and rewarding such personal efforts by offering tax breaks.