Children s home staff face action after 9 girls tonsured due to infection on scalp

Vijayawada: A big issue is being made over the tonsuring of nine girls at a children's home in NTR District after they were affected by a scalp fungus infection.

Chairman of the state commission for protection of child rights, Appa Rao, visited the home and sought immediate action against the staff.

According to women and child welfare authorities, 11 girls from a private child home in Guntur district were brought to the children home in the city on July 2, based on recommendation of the child welfare committee. Of them, five girls were having some fungal infection on their scalp.

The infection spread to four girls staying in the children's home in the city. After this, nine girls developed the infection on their scalp. A supervisor and two assistants were handling the home that accommodates 38 girls. Two supervisors had gone away after getting promotion.

On July 12, one of the assistants removed the hair from the scalp of two girls to apply ointment for the infection. On July 14, the same was done on the remaining seven girls without taking permission from senior officials.

The issue came to the notice of women development and child welfare project director of NTR district, Uma Devi, during her visit to the children home on July 17. She made a big issue out of this.

AP state commission for protection of child rights inspected the home on July 22 and issued directions to shift the supervisor and one of the assistants, due to their “failure” to inform them about the infection and removing their hair without permission. The panel also sought an explanation from the officials through an appearance before it on Aug. 8.

The children's home accommodates girls up to Class V and they are semi-orphans. Of the nine, two were from SC, four from ST, two from BC and one from OC communities.