Cuttack: In the wake of sexual harassment, torture and even the murder of some inmates in the shelter home of Muzaffarpur district in Bihar and Deora district in Uttar Pradesh, the Odisha Police has decided to take pre-emptive measures to ensure the safety of the inmates in shelter homes in the state.
Taking note of these shocking incidents and apprehending the same in Odisha, Director General of Police (DGP) Dr R P Sharma in a letter on Monday has categorically instructed all Superintendents of Police (SP) including SRP Rourkela and Cuttack as well as Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack for a through verification of Child Care Institutions situated in their respective jurisdictions.
In order to streamline the activities of Child Care Institutions (CCIs) and to check any mishappening in the children’s shelter homes, Sharma has instructed the SPs to constitute a team comprising officers of Investigative Unit on Crimes Against Women (IUCAW), IAHTU Integrated Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (IAHTU), Special Juvenile Police Unit (SPJU) including lady officers of the district for verification of shelter homes on priority basis and submit the visit reports.
The visiting teams are required to collect information regarding the staffing pattern and registers maintained by the shelter homes containing details of the inmates and organizers, detailed source of finance, safety measures like boundary wall, CCTV surveillance etc., functions organised by the CCIs and persons frequently visiting the centre and the purpose of such visits, existing communication system like internet facility, cell phones and televisions, medical facilities available in the centre and details of special doctors and nurse appointed for the purpose, name of the school where children’s are admitted, name of the tutors and persons in charge of students who are prosecuting studies and details of staff engaged and members of management committee including their addresses and phone numbers.
The visiting teams shall also verify the records and actual children available in the shelter homes. The interaction with the inmates should be made in a free and congenial atmosphere, the DGP pointed out.
One lady officer needs to interact with the female inmates. The inmates shall be specially asked if they have any complaint especially in terms of sexual abuse. The visiting teams must behave with the inmates and the management in a polite manner. Apart from this, the SPs may request the collectors to depute the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) or any other officer to join the team during visit, he added.
The DGP has further asked the SPs to review this matter on a weekly basis and submit a report to the State Police headquarters.
He also urged the SPs to sensitize police officers in their districts and keep a close watch on this matter to avoid any complaint of sexual harassment of inmates in shelter homes.
No one should be unnecessarily harassed during this exercise. In case any incident of sexual abuse of children comes to light, immediate and stringent legal action must follow without and delay, he said.
Referring to Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2005, Sharma said if any person, who is in charge of a child shelter home or the CCIs, assaults, abandons, abuses, exposes or willfully neglects the child, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine of Rs one lakh or both.
He further said that under Section 19 of the Protection of Child from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act, 2012, any person who apprehends that an offence under the Act is likely to be committed or has knowledge that such offence has been committed, shall provide such information to the Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU) and to the local police.
