Shelters for children should be safe and sanitary (2025)

If they are in danger or mistreated in their new surroundings, the purpose of running such facilities is defeated.

Children at a suburban shelter home were subjected to electric shocks, according to the Kalyan Taluka police, investigating mental and physical abuse at the facility.

A senior inspector told this paper that they had learnt the staff used to harm children, and the police were in the process of filing a charge sheet and will appeal to the court that the matter be heard on a fast-track basis.

Children’s homes or shelters need to be safe havens for the kids who may be there for different reasons. They need not be luxurious, but they must be adequate. Apart from being safe, they should be hygienic. The shelters are self-explanatory; they are a shelter for children to mitigate their hardships and the danger that they may be in, in their previous environment. If they are in danger or mistreated in their new surroundings, the purpose of running such facilities is defeated.

It was good to see action like the police had previously arrested the trustee, his wife, his son, a teacher, and a staffer in this matter. All five have been booked under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

An umbrella agency must take it upon itself to conduct surprise checks at shelters like these, to see how the children are being treated. Just as surprise visits are made to civic hospitals, similar checks should be carried out at homes, with action being taken against shelters breaking rules.

Children should be disciplined within the limits of the law. Those running shelter homes must consult with experts to gauge their mental state, and the focus must be on reform. While every shelter may have limitations, staff must be trained adequately, as these children may need different levels of attention and care.

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