The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Home for girls in conflict with the law inaugurated

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 25, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Home for girls in conflict with the law inaugurated

Staff Reporter

The girls have gone through difficult times

Efforts to be made to enrol the younger girls in formal schools
Older ones to be given training in various skills

Bangalore: It is a unique initiative to give shelter to and rehabilitate girls in conflict with the law.

ECHO (Empowerment of Children and Human Rights Organisation) in collaboration with the Holy Cross Sisters launched the ECHO-Jeevodaya Home for Girls in Difficult Circumstances at the Holy Cross Convent here on Saturday.

According to Fr. Antony Sebastian, executive director of the organisation, these girls are from various backgrounds and have gone through difficult times in their life.

Rehabilitation

The home will not just be a place for them to stay but they will be given counselling and therapy and efforts will be made to rehabilitate them.

“We will make efforts to see that the younger girls can eventually be enrolled in formal schools.

“The older ones will be given training in various skills and some of them may also be taken into the Traffic Police Assistance Programme, a rehabilitation initiative of ECHO, according to their interest,” Father Sebastian said.

As many as 25 girls in the age group of eight to 18 will be staying at the home.

Speaking at the inauguration, L. Revannasiddaiah, former Director General of Police, lauded ECHO’s work with children in conflict with the law and said in areas where the Government is not doing much, non-governmental organisations can come in to help.

Vasudev Sharma, Chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, Bangalore Urban, welcoming the setting up of a home for girls in conflict with the law said there was a dearth of such homes in Bangalore.

He said that many orphanages were mushrooming in the State which were not registered.

“These institutions should register themselves with the Women and Child Development Department so that they can be recognised and monitored,” he added.

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