The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Raid finds appalling conditions at home

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Saturday, Oct 23, 2010
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Raid finds appalling conditions at home

Staff Reporter

No documents on any of the 19 children

Twelve children were moved to foster care from the institution last year
No record of the adoptive families have been maintained either

BANGALORE: Child rights organisations and police officials raided a children's orphanage in Horamavu on Friday morning. Nineteen children, including a seven-month-old baby, were rescued from the Sneha Children's Home.

While the raid — conducted by ECHO, APSA child helpline and officials from the Special Juvenile Police unit and the State Department of Woman and Child Welfare — was primarily based on a complaint filed about the death of a child who was allegedly ill-treated there, the team also looked into other issues such as hygiene, food and the records maintained there.

Startling revelations

The investigation brought up some startling facts about the organisation, which is not registered and has no licence to run an orphanage. The team confirmed the death of the child and found that there was no record of where he had come from or on him having been treated in a hospital before his death. The Child Rights Commission has sent a notice to the hospital seeking an explanation.

No records at all

This was the case for all children who were at the orphanage. There were no records of any of the 19 children and the living conditions there were unhygienic, said Nina P. Nayak, Chairman of the Karnataka State Child Rights Protection Commission. Further, 12 children had been moved to foster care from the institution last year, and no record of the adoptive families have been maintained.

Upon inquiring, officials at the orphanage claimed that they ran on funds raised through donations sought over Just Dial. A notice has been sent to Just Dial asking them how they could give publicity to an organisation that has not been registered.

Children to be shifted

The children will be moved to the Children's Home for Boys and the Children's Homes for Girls. Those below the age of six will be moved to the government-run Shishu Gruha. “Our role as a commission is to regulate these orphanages. We need to pressure the Government to provide a mechanism to monitor these orphanages,” said M.K. Mamatha, member, Karnataka Commission For Protection of Child's Rights.

The home's authorities have been summoned to the commission on Saturday.

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