Home of Horror highlights need for monitoring

The sexual abuse of children at a destitute home in Tiruvallur district, which has as many as 15 men arraigned as accused in cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, has revealed how vulnerable these children are to abuse. That the perpetrators were supposed to be the guardians of the children not only makes the crime much more evil and vile, it exposes the failure of authorities to monitor the functioning of such homes, say activists.

According to police sources, the sexual abuse had been going on unchecked for the past three years right under the nose of the Revenue Department and Child Welfare Committee members. The stories emerged only during an awareness programme when two city magistrates – Anitha Ananth and B Soundarya – were invited to conduct a legal awareness programme at the orphanage in Saraswathi Nagar, Tirumullaivoyal, on August 23, police said.

“Time and again, Child Welfare Committees and inspection authorities have been exposed for not doing their job,” said Andrew Sesuraj, professor, Department of Social Work, Loyola College, stressing on the importance of regular monitoring of homes. Destitute children at these homes should have access to the community, and have more public interactions so that these crimes are not only prevented but could be nipped in the bud, said Sesuraj, who is part of the Tamil Nadu Child Rights Observatory. 

Such access could have saved at least a few of the children in this home. “Most of the neighbours near the boy’s hostel in Saraswathi Nagar near Tirumullaivoyal were clueless about the homosexual and paedophile activities that were going on unchecked, as the buildings were completely cordoned off,” said Tirumullaivoyal All-Women Police Station inspector Shoba Rani, the investigation officer. 

Similarly, the girl’s hostel located half a kilometre from there is a huge sprawling property with multiple gates but restricted access, where the sexual assault on children went unnoticed. The Police Department may not be without blame, according to activists. Even in many cases where the crime is brought out, the charge sheet is not filed within a month, criticised professor Sesuraj, noting how such loopholes in the system fail to protect the children from criminals.

“There are cases in Tamil Nadu where the accused are arrested but yet to be prosecuted even after three years of trial,” confirmed a source, a member of the district Child Welfare Committee, who wished to remain anonymous. In most cases, the children vulnerable to sexual crimes are brought up by a single parent, said the official, pointing out how this called for better awareness among such parents for the sake of their children’s safety.  “Activists have complained that children’s homes in India are poorly regulated and are often money-minting institutions. Institutions cannot be a solution for destitute and this had been proved,” said child rights activist A Narayanan, the director of advocacy group Change India. 

Many children at these homes are not orphans but are placed in institutional care by their parents to ensure that they were provided food and education. This makes children more vulnerable to sexual crimes, he said. Childcare has to shift from institution-based care to other options like adoption, sponsoring the family and foster care, Narayanan added.

According to an affidavit that Narayanan submitted before the Madras High Court, many children from poor families were shown as destitute orphans in the records and “paraded” before potential adoptive parents and donors funding these homes. The State authorities have closed 800 homes since 2011 citing mismanagement, lack of registration and misconduct, while the remaining 1,200 need regular monitoring.

Beyond monitoring the homes, the way to address the issue is to increase the involvement of the society, added Andrew Sesuraj. “The simple solution to prevent such crimes is to rope in the local community and form a panchayat level monitoring committee at the grassroot level,” he said.

Echoing the activists, Chennai City Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan had highlighted the importance of the community’s role in ensuring the safety of children. Speaking at the screening of a documentary about the kidnap and murder of Hasini, a seven-year-old child, here on Tuesday, the officer said child safety was the responsibility of the society. 

After being deserted by her alcoholic husband, 32-year-old Chithra (name changed) put her six-year-old child in a home for destitute in suburban Tirumullaivoyal, hoping that her kid is getting quality education, food and shelter free of cost. But a year on, she was informed that the home was sealed for allegation of sexual abuse. She broke down hearing the statement her little child recorded in front of the judge.

So disturbing were the stories about the abuse of these children at the hands of those who ran the institution that even a few of the women police personnel, who dealt with the sex abuse case, say they are suffering from sleep disorders after hearing the horror tales. Now, the police are trying to trace those who passed out of the two destitute homes run by Eternal World Trust since 2003 to find out more about the network of paedophiles allegedly entertained by hostel administrator.

The statement that the children recorded under Section 164 of CrPC show how the accused used anything from jam to cartoon channels to lure these children. “Children usually crave for jam and cartoon channels. But for a few sexually abused children rescued from this destitute home, these words are nightmare,” said Tirumullaivoyal All-Women Police Station inspector Shoba Rani, the investigation officer. 

The parents of the children are understandably averse to speak to the media or even the public. “We are holding talks with the parents insisting that the kids undergo a psychological care so that they can come out of the trauma at the earliest,” Shoba Rani added.