Boys forced to labour at rescue home

Bengaluru, March 15: The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has found evidence of child labour and torture in a government boys’ home which is meant to rescue them from crisis, during a raid on Monday.

A team led by SHRC DySP Shivamurthy conducted the raid based on a complaint filed by the fact finding co-coordinator of Sichrem. The commission found that children at the home were being used to cook and clean toilets and for other house keeping tasks. The home did not employ any housekeeping staff and had only one cook.

The children also reported that they were beaten with ropes and served minimal quantities of food. When the commission questioned the superintendent of the home, Rajendra Prasad, he defended himself, “We will have to involve children for cooking as we are facing a staff crunch,” Mr Prasad has reportedly been suspended and transferred twice before being appointed for this post.

The home is a reception centre formed as per the Juvenile Justice Act 2000 to provide temporary shelter for children rescued from a crisis or runaway kids who have been traced.