Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Child caught for begging awaits foster-care

Sangeeth Kurian

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nissa Francis, a social worker with the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare, vividly recollects the day when four-year-old Vimal was brought to the shelter home from hospital.

"His right leg was covered in bandage and there were tell-tale wounds all over the body made by cigarette stubs," she said.

The boy, with a deep festering wound and a fracture on his right leg, was found begging at the Central Railway Station, Thampanoor, and rescued by the Railway Protection Force in January. He was later placed under the protection of the shelter home as per the directive of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) S. Soman. The police also arrested a 30-year-old man who allegedly used the child for begging. As per his version, the boy was bought from a person in Bihar.

Nearly four months later, the child is back on his feet, though the scar on his leg remains, he is "much happier and expressive" now. "We have started sending him to a play school nearby and this has made him very active and friendly," said Ms. Francis. The boy was named `Vimal' by the members of the council

Efforts are on to trace the biological parents of the child, believed to be hailing from one of the North Indian States. As the boy speaks a smattering of Hindi, Mr. Soman has granted permission to the council to initiate steps to send the child for foster-care.

Foster-care is allowed in cases where the parents or relatives of a child are known to exist, yet remain untraceable.

However, sending a child for foster-care is easier said than done. "Unlike adoption, it is difficult to find people coming forward for foster-care, as it involves only a temporary custody or guardianship of the child," said Ms. Francis. As per foster-care, the decision whether a child wants to be a part of the family of his/her foster parents will be taken by the child after he turns 18-years-old.

"Nevertheless, we are optimistic that we will be able to send him for foster-care soon," she added.

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