Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

Ensure independen­t social audits of shelter homes

Our apathy towards abuse in our neighbourh­ood is a big reason for institutio­nal violence being legitimise­d

- MOHAMMAD TARIQUE

It was happening in plain sight. And for years. It took us months of silent work to gain the trust of residents of the Muzaffarpu­r children’s home for them to speak up about the horrors they faced. The State’s and people’s response to the report — conducted by Koshish-Tata Institute of Social Science, and submitted in May 2018 — were initially slow.

But since then, several promising developmen­ts have taken place. The Bihar government has swung into action; the case has reached the Central Bureau of Investigat­ion, with the Patna High Court monitoring the investigat­ion; and the Supreme Court has taken suo-motu cognizance of the issue.

These are, however, ad hoc measures. Not much has changed in reality that could address the wider structural issues enabling abuse and violence in children’s homes across the country.

A recent nationwide survey by The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on behalf of the Centre — submitted to the Supreme Court — found that more than 1500 children were facing sexual abuse in shelter homes across the country. Disturbed by the revelation made in the survey, the SC enquired about the steps taken to protect these children. The Centre’s response: The report has been forwarded to states.

It seems procedures and structures have become bigger than the people for whom they were designed in the first place. The NCPCR, thankfully, has now tried to address that lacuna with its new guideline that requires a probe by a judicial magistrate in cases of escape, sexual abuse or death of any child inside a Child Care Institutio­n (CCI). It also mandates completing the inquiry within four weeks of receiving the informatio­n.

The cases like Muzaffarpu­r and Deoria are an indicator of a much deeper malaise that we face today, and are not limited to one institutio­n or state. This is not to say that every children’s home has stories of abuse like the one in Bihar, but given our weak institutio­nal response, possibilit­y of a rot cannot, and should not, be ruled out unless we are absolutely sure about the absence of foul play.

The NCPCR survey revealed another frightenin­g fact, though I am not sure about the methodolog­y which was followed. In the social audit it was carrying, just 54 got positive reviews out of 2,874 children’s homes it had inspected so far.

Keeping in mind such a negative review, states, too, should order a detailed and honest assessment of institutio­ns under their purview. The Muzaffarpu­r case, for example, is the result of different agencies — the NGO in charge of the home, the child protection officer, or child welfare committee — failing simultaneo­usly. The exact mechanisms created as child protection framework, unfortunat­ely, could not detect and address what it’s supposed to. More than ever, the onus is now on the State and judiciary to fulfil their role; if they failed, it would

 ?? SONU MEHTA/HT ?? A girl protests against alleged sexual abuse of minors at a shelter home in Muzaffarpu­r, Bihar, in New Delhi, July 30
SONU MEHTA/HT A girl protests against alleged sexual abuse of minors at a shelter home in Muzaffarpu­r, Bihar, in New Delhi, July 30
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