The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is actively working to secure the return of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl from Thane, who has been in foster care in Germany for the past 36 months due to allegations of minor physical abuse, according to local MP Naresh Mhaske.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has assured that the government is expediting the legal processes to facilitate the return of the girl, Ariha. Her parents, Bhavesh and Dhara Shah, currently in Germany, are now permitted to visit Ariha twice a month, as announced by Mhaske on Thursday.
Ariha’s parents are from Mira Bhayander in Thane district. Following Mhaske’s appeal in Parliament earlier this month, Jaishankar provided details of the ongoing efforts in a letter dated August 16.
Jaishankar noted that the German Youth Welfare Authorities chose not to appeal the court orders granting visitation rights to Ariha’s parents, thanks to the intervention by the Indian government. He emphasized that the long-term well-being of Ariha can best be assured by raising her in her native socio-cultural environment in India.
The MEA and embassy officials in Berlin are working to introduce Ariha to Indian culture. They have provided resources on Jainism, Indian festivals, and cultural traditions to her foster parents. Embassy officials have also taken Ariha to Indian temples and are working on arranging for her to learn Gujarati and Hindi.