Thiruvananthapuram: The State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights has ordered the Social Justice director to urgently visit the Nirbhaya Shelter Home in the capital, the first-ever home for victims of sexual abuse, and initiate swift measures to remedy inadequacies. This is the first time the Commission has issued such a directive, though it had regularly called for better facilities in the shelter homes in its various orders.
It has been found that the number of inmates in the shelter homes is on the rise but facilities are not keeping pace. There are two shelter homes in the heart of the capital; the main shelter home has 29 inmates and the annexe, 27. Even 25 is much beyond the capacity of these shelter homes. The main shelter home has three rooms and the space is so congested that inmates are forced to sleep on the floor, crammed against each other.
The director has been asked to visit the Home and take stock of the basic facilities in the home. If the creation of facilities takes time, the Commission said that a suitable house should be rented quickly and the inmates shifted. The Commission also wanted that psychiatrists, counsellors, psychotherapists and caretakers be appointed. The Commission noted that there was only a part-time clinical psychologist to look after the emotional needs of over 50 traumatised girls now staying in these homes.
The Social Justice director has also been asked to ensure that financial grants to the Home are disbursed on time. The advance payment to be transferred to the Home for the trimester beginning July has not yet been given. Delayed payment has been the norm for the last many years. Further, the Social Justice has piled up arrears of nearly Rs 25 lakh towards the additional expenses borne by the Home. Transportation and medical expenses are, at times, borne by the poorly paid staff of the Home.
