Poor monitoring of child care institutions (CCIs) came to light with the inmates of an NGO home lodging a complaint with the District Collector alleging sexual exploitation.
Girls staying in an NGO home on the outskirts of Vijayawada approached NTR District Collector S. Dilli Rao alleging sexual assault by the home organiser and sought protection.
Mr. Rao, who responded swiftly, constituted an enquiry committee with officials from the Revenue, Municipal, Disabled Welfare, Women Development and Child Welfare, Police departments and an NGO, Childline.
The committee, which visited the home on Thursday, interacted with the suspected victims, other inmates, recorded their statements and found that some of the students of the home were allegedly exploited. They submitted the report to the District Collector, who directed officials to file a case with the Disha Mahila Police.
Role of district panel
The District Inspection Committee, headed by the District Probation Officer, who is the nodal officer for CCIs registration and functioning, District Child Protection Unit of WD&CW Departments and others have to visit child care institutions every three months, observe the situation, speak to inmates and submit report to the government.
“However, the committee has visited the homes for namesake, colluded with some child care homes and have not reported the facts,” said members of the AP State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR), who visited the NGO home.
Commission Member J. Rajendra Prasad said the activities of the committee would be probed and a report would be submitted to the government soon.
Home closed
Andhra Pradesh Mahila Commission member B. Vinitha and SCPCR Member G. Sitaram, who met the Collector appraised him of the situation in the NGO home.
“All the 28 boys and 13 girls staying in the institution were shifted to different homes. The home was closed and a detailed investigation is on,” said the Collector.
“The home organisers failed to submit the licenses obtained from Juvenile Welfare and WD&CW Departments. We observed that there were no Child Welfare Committee (CWC) orders to keep the children in the institution, which is mandatory, and no proper records were maintained,” said Andhra Pradesh SCPCR Chairman K. Appa Rao.
“There was no proper maintenance, qualified staff and both the girls and boys were kept in one home (premises), violating the rules,” Mr. Rajendra Prasad told The Hindu.
Activists of Students Federation of India (SFI), AIDWA and other organisations staged a dharna in front of the home demanding stern action against the institution and negligent officers.
