Adoption offers flood social media for ‘orphaned’ Kerala girl

The family, which also includes the girl’s two elder brothers, has been living for years at Manakad at a shed-like house on a Puramboke land.

KOZHIKODE: Emotions flow unabatedly at the time of a crisis like landslides and flood being witnessed by the state for the second consecutive year, but the persons demonstrating such feelings don’t necessarily follow guidelines and they ignore the problem their offers would create.

A 12-year-old girl, who lost her father recently, is the centre of discussion now going viral on social media. A number of Keralites across the globe wanted to adopt her.

The discussion is taking place with all details of the girl, including her picture, following which the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) has raised the alarm over the auction-like offers for the minor. Originally from Karnataka, the girl’s father Raju, a street performer, collapsed and died at the flood relief camp at Manakad UP School, Mavoor here, on August 11.

The family, which also includes the girl’s two elder brothers, has been living for years at Manakad at a shed-like house on a Puramboke land. Their house was washed away in flood. The girl’s mother had deserted them years back.

When the camp was closed on Tuesday, the girl had nowhere to go, prompting the Mavoor grama panchayat to intervene and provide temporary shelter at the old age home for her and her brothers.

As the girl’s plight was posted by someone on social media, umpteen queries started pouring in for adopting her.

‘Will gift a house’

Jatheesh P, a 38-year-old from Alappuzha, commented on Facebook that he is ready to adopt her as he and his wife Tara have no children though they have been married for 11 years. To this, one Jiju Jacob Moonjely from Ernakulam responded saying that Jatheesh cannot adopt her as the prospective couple should own a property whereas Jatheesh is living in a rented house.

Further, Jiju Jacob said if Jatheesh is serious about adopting the girl, he would gift a “small beautiful home” at Elamkunnapuzha in Ernakulam. After this, the story of the “orphaned girl” and the benevolence of Jatheesh and Jiju Jacob became an instant hit. “I took the decision to adopt her after discussing it with my wife. We are serious. I am coming to Kozhikode on Thursday along with Jiju Jacob,” Jatheesh told Express. Asked whether he knew about the procedures of adoption, he said he would consult a lawyer.

Flood of calls

Mavoor grama panchayat president C Muneerath said that she had received calls from the US, New Zealand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and across the state evincing interest in adopting her. “All of them are Keralites, I have asked them to approach the district collector,” she said.

Commission intervenes

“No adoption would take place like this. There are laid-down procedures for adoption. The District Child Protection Committee has visited the girl and submitted a report to the SCPCR,” said commission member Sreela Menon N.

She condemned the discussion on adoption with the details of the minor girl online and added that she would visit her on Thursday. As per the guidelines, the couple who wants to adopt a child must register at the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), a nation-wide online system.

“There are 1,200 couples waiting in the state after registering with CARA. It would take a minimum of one-and-a-half years to finish the procedures of adoption,” said a source at the child protection committee.

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