Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR), in its annual report, has slammed the administration of Apna Ghar, Merces for its failure to segregate juveniles from the children in need of care and protection while listing ten other lapses in administration.
PANAJI
The report for 2016 bases its findings on three inspections conducted in March, August and December to ascertain the conditions of the home.
All three inspection reports unanimously observed that there is no segregation of children in conflict with law and children in need for care and protection at the Apna Ghar.
The first inspection was conducted by GSCPCR chairperson Dr Sushma Kirtani along with members Audrey Pinto, Carmelina Franco and Cyanna Hoogewerf on March 24, 2016.
The team observed that there is no separate counselor or individual care plans for children in conflict with law.
At the time of inspection, there were 15 girls and 17 boys under CWC and six boys under JJB. In addition to this, there were three toddlers in a separate room in the girls' section.
The Commission also noted that although the inmates want to learn, activities are not conducted. While the girls were engaged in tailoring classes thrice a week, there were no such activities for the boys.
In addition to this, members of the Commission observed that the dry garbage is burnt nearby. Aside from garbage disposal, cleanliness and insufficient water were listed as the major issues.
GSCPCR members Hoogewerf and Prachi Khandeparkar visited the premises again on August 5, 2016 for a quarterly report and found that the standards of hygiene and cleanliness were better.
However, the boys section was still under construction and as a result, both JJB and CWC boys were housed together in the JJB section despite several recommendations.
The inspection conducted on December 2, 2016 by GSCPCR chairperson Kirtani, member Hoogewerf and Dr M R K Prasad pointed to another glaring lacuna at the Apna Ghar.
It came to light that the funds are insufficient to send back home the children in need of care and protection despite the completion of paperwork. These children expressed their wish to return home.
The third inspection report also echoed that there was no age or gender segregation of children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection. It also concurred with the previous two reports on the need for senior male and female counselors to replace the interns and social workers.
The kitchen and dining room had returned to unhygienic conditions and wet waste had accumulated at the rear entrance of the kitchen. Children were drinking tap water due to non-provision of filtered water. In addition to this, the footwear provided to the children was not of correct size and some children were walking around without footwear.
