How homeless children, women survive at not-so-happy shelter homes in Uttarakhand - Hindustan Times
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How homeless children, women survive at not-so-happy shelter homes in Uttarakhand

Hindustan Times | By, Dehradun
Nov 19, 2017 07:34 PM IST

What would you do if your three-year-old happens to soil his or her pants? You would clean them up gently and help put on fresh clothes

What would you do if your three-year-old happens to soil his or her pants? You would clean them up gently and help put on fresh clothes. That, however, was not to be with Pinky (name changed) who lives in a government-run children’s home in Dehradun.

Lack of facilities, funds and adequately trained personnel at shelter homes often leaves homeless fighting for survival, activists say.(HT Photo)
Lack of facilities, funds and adequately trained personnel at shelter homes often leaves homeless fighting for survival, activists say.(HT Photo)

On January 1, 2014, while the rest of the staff and inmates were busy with the New Year celebrations, Pinky suffered serious burn injuries allegedly after an irate caretaker poured hot water over her. The caretaker was angry at the child for soiling her clothes.

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The horror didn’t end there

Failing to get proper medical care over the next few days, the girl developed a limp in her leg. She continues to be a testimony to the alleged negligence of the staff at government-run shelter homes in Uttarakhand.

The girl, now seven, shared the nightmarish incident with social welfare minister Yashpal Arya and even named her alleged perpetrator, during his visit to the shelter home recently. Arya’s visit itself came after the Dehradun police booked seven staff members and a former pharmacist of the children’s home on November 3 for negligence allegedly leading to Pinky’s disability and the death of two other children.

“I was totally shocked to hear what the child said...even other facilities (at the children’s home) were not found up to the mark,” Arya told HT.

No ‘happy homes’ for the homeless

Homeless women and children, rescued from distress situations by the police or the district administration, are lodged at state-run shelter homes, but shortage of staff, funds, facilities and adequately trained personnel often leave them fighting for survival.

A departmental report by former additional secretary (social welfare), Manoj Chandran — prepared after secret inspections at the Dehradun children’s home in July and August this year — blew the lid off the horrors faced by the likes of Pinky and fellow inmates.

The report — based on which the Dehradun police booked the children home’s caretakers — revealed how two infants died at the shelter home in 2016 (see box) allegedly owing to lack of proper care by the staff. “A special investigation team (SIT) comprising officials of the police, health and social welfare departments, is currently investigating the case,” said Ashok Kumar, additional director general of police (law and order), Uttarakhand.

Prior to this, the Nari Niketan or women’s shelter home in Dehradun had hit the headlines for the wrong reasons. A hearing and speech impaired inmate was sexually exploited there and later forced to undergo abortion in 2015, an incident that caused much outrage among locals and activists in the state.

In December the same year, two inmates of the women’s shelter home died, reportedly due to malnutrition and lack of medical care, while several others were admitted to hospitals, further hinting towards the lack of facilities at the not-so-happy homes for the homeless.

‘Regular monitoring required’

Despite repeated inspections — including by chief ministers and top bureaucrats — in the past, much remains to be done to improve facilities like security, hygiene, clean drinking water, beds and food at the shelter homes. In 2014, a Dehradun-based organization, Empowering People Society, had conducted a study at Dehradun Nari Niketan with the help of a professional clinical psychologist, where it found that 64 (of the then 86) inmates were suffering from chronic psychological disorder, as per Gyanendra Kumar, founder of the society.

The Uttarakhand government had set aside a sum of Rs 7.34 crore for running various shelter homes and institutions for the homeless for 2017-18, said an officer of the social welfare department. Activists, however, called for “regular monitoring” of all women and children homes so that any irregularities found there could be promptly rectified.

‘We recommended high-level probe’

Yogendra Khanduri, chairperson of the state commission for protection of child rights, said that the panel had recommended a high-level probe in the case to the state government in October this year after receiving a confidential report (from Chandran) about atrocities to children at the shelter home.

“Our panel members also conducted independent inspection there, in which negligence of the staff became apparent,” he told HT. On November 16, the state panel sent a report on incidents at Dehradun children’s home to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

“We have apprised the national body about the incidents at the shelter home along with sending report from the police and (report) from our own inspections,” Khanduri said. “We suggest measures (for improvement of shelter home facilities for women) to the government from time to time,” added Sarojini Kaintyura, chairperson of the state women commission.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Neha Pant is a senior correspondent at Hindustan Times based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. She writes on a range of topics including civic issues, urban development, politics, health, women and youth issues, culture and lifestyle.

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