Shelter Home Sexual Abuse: NCPCR Teams To Arrive In Odisha Today

Bhubaneswar: Following the alleged sexual abuse of minor girls at a shelter home in Dhenkanal district, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) teams will arrive in Odisha on a two-day visit for an inspection on Wednesday.

In a letter to the chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi, the NCPCR Registrar has informed that the nine members of the Commission will arrive in the state on Wednesday afternoon. During their two-day visit, the teams will visit 56 shelter homes in 19 districts. The teams after completing the inspector will leave the state on Friday and submit a report to the Commission.

Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on December 8 had ordered a probe into the alleged sexual abuse of minor girls at a shelter home in Dhenkanal district.

Apart from directing the Union Women and Child Development Secretary to conduct a detailed investigation and submit a report at the earliest, she had also directed the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) officials to inspect all shelter homes in Odisha and submit a report about their functioning.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, Maneka had said that there were reports of sexual abuse and conversion in shelter homes run by the NGO Good News India. Most of its shelter homes have been functioning without registration for the last two years.

Referring to the incident that had taken place at the shelter home in Dhenkanal, she said it is a matter of regret that the district administration had no knowledge about it functioning despite the fact that it is only 10 km away from the district headquarters.

Stating that the licence of the shelter home had expired in October, a fact confirmed by the minister and secretary concerned, Maneka said the state government had failed in providing security to women and children.