Child rights body visits Bala Sadan where children were tonsured, finds many lapses - The Hindu

SCPCR members, in a surprise visit to the Bala Sadan, found that the children, the majority belonging to the Yanadi tribe, were anaemic and suffered from skin diseases due to unhygienic conditions in the home

Anguished over the tonsuring of children in Government Bala Sadan (Home for girls), run by the Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW) Department, the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) has directed the officials concerned to submit a report on the incident and to conduct a detailed inquiry into the inhuman act, said Commission Chairman Kesali Appa Rao on Saturday.

SCPCR Chairman, along with members T. Adi Lakshmi, B. Padmavathi and G. Seetaram and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) members Raj Kumar and Ravi Bhargav, made a surprise visit to Bala Sadan on Saturday.

WD&CW Regional Joint Director (RJD), K. Uma Rani and NTR District Project Director, G. Uma Devi, said that nine children were tonsured by an assistant (helper), arranged by a visually impaired employee, in the home without informing the higher officials.

The Bala Sadan staff explained that the students were tonsured as they suffered from an infestation of lice and allergies.

‘Inhuman act’

“It was very inhuman that about nine children were tonsured by the staff in Bala Sadan. The reasons the staff gave were not convincing, and a detailed inquiry should be conducted into violating the child rights of Yanadi tribes” T. Adi LakshmiMember of State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Andhra Pradesh

“It was very inhuman that about nine children were tonsured by the staff in Bala Sadan. The reasons the staff gave were not convincing, and a detailed inquiry should be conducted into violating the child rights of Yanadi tribes,” said Ms. Adi Lakshmi.

“The Commission observed that the superintendent and other officers concerned were not visiting the home regularly, and there was no proper monitoring of the staff and the condition of children in Bala Sadan. The incident occurred due to negligence. The majority of the victims were Yanadi tribes,” Mr. Seetaram said.

About 36 orphan and semi-orphan children, aged 5 to 8 years, were staying in the home. The girls were anaemic and suffered from skin diseases and rashes due to unhygienic conditions in the home. The children were made to wash their clothes and clean their rooms in the home, the Commission observed.

Superintendent transferred

“We observed that a few girls suffered from conjunctivitis and skin diseases. Staff said a dermatologist visited the home and treated the children on Friday night (July 21). It was not correct to tonsure the children just because of lice. The children felt insecure as there was no watchman for the Government home,” Mr. Appa Rao said.

SCPCR has observed many lapses, including poor maintenance of records, visiting register, insanitation, poor health condition of children and no regular medical check-ups for the inmates, Ms. Padmavathi said.

Meanwhile, the RJD issued orders on Saturday, transferring the home superintendent, and a Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) has been appointed as Bala Sadan superintendent with immediate effect.