Probe into SOS Village 'sex assault'
Guwahati: The Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) is conducting an inquiry into the alleged sexual assault on three inmates of the SOS Children's Village here at Borjhar.
Police on Thursday arrested the assistant director of SOS Children's Village, Loon Vaiphei, 44, on the charge of sexually abusing the minors and registered a case against him at Azara police station under Section 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012.
The commission's chairperson, Sunita Changkakati, said a three-member team of the commission led by Rupa Hazarika visited the SOS Village on Monday and spoke to the victims, officials of the village and police.
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Changkakati said though the police promptly registered the case and arrested the accused, they did not conduct the medical examination of the victims till the team visited the village on Monday. "The victims were also not produced before the Child Welfare Committee," she said.
"We will prepare a report on the findings of our inquiry, which will be shared with the district administration and police," Changkakati said.
Assistant commissioner of police (Azara) Pranjal Bora said the police had taken the girls to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for medical examination.
"But they refused to undergo medical examination and gave it in writing," he said.
As they refused to submit themselves to a medical examination, the police recorded their statements before a magistrate under Section 164 CrPC, Bora said.
SOS Children's Villages of India said it had suspended Vaiphei for his alleged misconduct and the matter is being internally assessed.
A statement issued by the SOS Children's Villages of India said it has a zero-tolerance policy against any kind of abuse or misconduct against children under its care.
"SOS India is extending every possible support and cooperation to the authorities on this matter so that justice is delivered. SOS Children's Villages International, the umbrella organisation of which SOS Children's Villages India is a member, is also closely monitoring the situation through its regional office for Asia," the statement said.
Adolescent and Child Rights Network, Assam (ACRNA), an umbrella body of 25 NGOs working for child rights, has also written to principal secretary to Assam social welfare department Jishnu Baruah expressing its concern at the incident that happened in one of the most reputed child-care institutions not only of Assam but of the country and internationally.
To prevent such incidents in future, it suggested installation of CCTVs at the child-care institutions, orientation, training and refreshers training of all service providers, including administrators of the institutions, constitution and activation of children committee and management committees and regular meetings of these committees and necessary follow-up by the state, constitution and activation of monitoring committees, ensuring functional telephones with necessary safety measures so that any/all emergency numbers can be accessed by any inmate of the CCI in case of any emergency.
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