Delhi: Girls abused inside shelter-home, chilli-powder put in private parts
What's the story
On Thursday night, during a surprise visit to a shelter home run by an NGO, in Dwarka, the Delhi Commission of Women found that girls were ruthlessly abused by staff. The establishment houses 22 girls aged between 6 and 15. The body discovered the staff put chilli powder in private parts of the girls as a form of punishment. An FIR has now been registered.
The abuse
Girls were forced to wash utensils, clean rooms and washrooms
The findings of DCW are troubling, to say the least. The girls were forced to do household chores like washing utensils, cleaning rooms and were even asked to mop washrooms. The older girls were tasked with looking after the younger ones. If the inmates didn't fall in line, they were beaten with scales. Moreover, the girls were not allowed to visit their homes during winter/summer vacations.
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The quality of food served to inmates wasn't good either
There was only one cook and the food's quality was also deplorable. "The older girls in the group said they were forced to do all chores such as cooking and cleaning toilets since the home did not have sufficient domestic staff," DCW said in a statement.
Action taken
DCW informs police about abuse, they swing to action
DCW Chief Swati Maliwal called Dwarka DCP Anto Alphonse to look into the matter. He sent a team and an FIR was registered under sections of the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Juvenile Justice Act. Notably, teams of DCW counselors and police stayed in the house till morning, recording statements of the inmates. The DCW will continue monitoring the home.
Horror at home
In Bihar's Muzaffarpur, inmates were abused, raped, and tortured
The rampant abuse in shelter homes across the nation got attention after the Muzaffarpur scandal. Minor inmates of the state-sponsored NGO in Bihar were sexually assaulted, raped and 'sent' to powerful men. The CBI took over the investigation and the owner Brajesh Thakur was arrested. In what qualifies as a domino effect, state governments tightened hold on shelter homes after this case.