While the rights activists were celebrating the ‘International Day of the Girl Child’ across the globe and the officials were speaking on girl child rights on October 11, information about more than 200 minor girls rescued from different parts of the State and produced before the Krishna Child Welfare Committee (CWC) was allegedly leaked.
Members of the CWC were shocked when they reportedly noticed a 229-page printed book with the photographs and profiles of the children in the office. The data of the children produced and referred to the Child Care Institutions (CCIs) should be either with the CWC or the CCI in the shape of forms and kept in the files or in the official computer database, but not to be printed. This indicates that the data had gone out of the office for printing, which is not acceptable, as there may be a breach of data.
Under Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, details of the Children in Need of Care and Protection (CNCP) prohibits disclosure of their identity.
“CWCs were established by the government under Section 27 of JJ Act, to look after the welfare of CNCP. Victims of child labour, minor marriage, sexual abuse, rescued minors in various cases and runaway children will be produced before the Committee, which will refer them to childcare homes. But, if there is no protection for children in CWCs, who will give protection for them,” questioned a child rights activist.
Krishna CWC Chairperson, K. Suvartha, said the data of the rescued minor girls along with their photographs, family details and the case particulars were found in a printed spiral book on October 11.
“We have passed information to the higher officials on the leakage of data from the CWC,” Ms. Suvartha said.
Speaking to The Hindu, NTR District Collector S. Delhi Rao said an inquiry would be ordered with Sub-Collector, into the alleged leakage of data of minor girls from the CWC.
“A thorough inquiry would be conducted on how the confidential data was leaked from the CWC. The inquiry officer would probe whether the information was passed to any one outside, reasons for the act and other details,” the Collector said.
