New Delhi: The Government has always taken note of any irregularity, including condition of Juvenile homes, as and when brought to the notice and have taken prompt and due action. The details of fine/action taken against the institutions given below. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has reported that it has registered 203 complaints based on information received from 11 States/UTs regarding ran away/escaped from the observation/special homes during the last three years, i.e. 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has reported that it has registered 43 complaints regarding child abuse and neglect of children in Child Care Institutions (CCIs) during the last four years and the current year 2018-19 (till June, 2018). Out of the 43 complaints, 38 have been closed and the remaining 5 cases are still pending.
As per section 41 of Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, registration of all Child Care Institutions, whether funded by Government or not, is mandatory. The penalty of non-registration is prescribed under section 42 of the said Act. The registration is the responsibility of the State / UT Government , as per Section 41 of the Act. Further the State Governments have to appoint Inspection Committees, under section 54 of the Act, to assess the basic facilities and infrastructure of the Institution to ascertain whether the Institution is maintaining their standards as prescribed as per section 53 of the Act and as provided under the Rules 29 -38 of Model JJ Rules 2016 relating to physical infrastructure, clothing/bedding/toiletries, sanitation & hygiene, Nutrition and Diet scale, Medical care, mental health, Education, Vocational training, Recreational facilities etc. The Central Government has relentlessly pursued with the State / UT Governments to register all Child Care Institutions by 31st December, 2017. A National Consultation was held with all the States and UTs on 26th September, 2017 in this respect. MWCD had also brought an advertisement in 6 national (84 editions) Hindi and English news papers dated 28.10.17 informing all people running CCIs to get their CCIs registered by 31.12.2017. The advertisement was shared with the state/UTs vide letter dated 12.10.17 so that registration is expedited. Further National Consultation was held with Pr Secretaries of the States and UTs on 11th Jan, 2018 to assess the status. As an outcome, 7109 CCIs were reported to have been registered by the said date while 401 were reportedly under process. The Ministry had directed the States / UTs to close those institutions, which have declined to register, and shift the children to other appropriate facilities vide its letter dated 20th February 2018.
After noticing the criminal act of sale of children by the Missionary of Charity in Jharkhand, the Ministry has asked all the States / UTs to inspect their institutions by 31st August, 2018 and submit a report to the Ministry. They have also been asked to link all the Child Care Institutions with the close by Specialized Adoption Agency (SAA) for providing opportunity of adoption of the children of CCI, as prescribed under the Juvenile Justice Act.
In the wake of Muzaffarpur incidence, the Ministry has requested the Chief Secretaries of all the States / UTs to inspect all the facilities by 15th September, 2018 and submit a report to the Ministry.. The TISS report had also expressed ‘Grave Concerns’ about some other Institutions in Bihar. The Ministry has sought report in this regard.
The Ministry has been frequently interacting with the stakeholders from all States / UTs to impress upon the need for regular monitoring. In the current year following consultations till date have also been held:
- National Consultation on Child Protection with Principal Secretaries and Secretaries of Department of Women & Child Development of all States / UTs on 11th January, 2018.
- National Consultation with all the senior representatives of Police from all the States and UTs on 5th June, 2018.
- National Conference of State Ministers of State / UT WCD on 17th July, 2018.
- NCPCR’s National level workshop on “Safety and Security of Children” on 28th July, 2018
- National Review of State Adoption Resource Agencies from all States / UTs held on 30thJuly 2018.
MWCD has also requested Members of Parliament to visit the homes periodically to check the living condition as well as level of care being provided to the residents to further improve the conditions of the homes vide the letter dated 9th August, 2017.
A total of 28 Specialized Adoption Agencies in 6 States have been closed down due to various reasons like allegations of illegal adoptions, reported child abuse, not following norms under JJ Act etc.
The above Information was given by Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi in reply to a Starred Question in the Rajya Sabha, today.
