Police to conduct weekly checks on shelter homes

BHUBANESWAR: In view of the recent incidents of alleged sexual abuses in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the Odisha police have decided to carry out weekly checks on all childcare institutions to find out about any possible abuse.
Director general of police R P Sharma on Monday instructed all district police chiefs to conduct a thorough verification of shelter homes on a priority basis and submit a report. "If any case of sexual abuse of children comes to light, then stringent legal action should be taken immediately," the DGP ordered.




"Apart from police conducting raids and verifications, i f any person apprehends that an offence is likely to be committed or has knowledge of any sexual assault taking place or having taken place, then he or she can provide information to the special juvenile police units and to the local police immediately," Sharma said.

Each district superintendent of police will constitute a team comprising officers of Investigative Unit on Crimes Against Women (IUCAW) or Integrated Anti-human Trafficking Unit (IAHTU) or Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU) and lady officers for verification of shelter homes.

During their inspection, the teams will check the staffing pattern and registers maintained by the shelter homes containing details of inmates and staff. They will also find out about the source of finance, safety measures like boundary wall and CCTV surveillance.

They will collect information about various functions organised by the institutions, persons frequently visiting the centre and the purpose of their visit, availability of communication systems like internet, cellphones and television.

The team will also verify medical facilities provided to the inmates and details of doctors and nurses appointed for the purpose. The name of the school and tuition teacher, if any, and staff and members of the management committee, including their address and phone numbers, will also be confirmed.

"The verification must be conducted once a week. The records and actual number of children living in shelter homes should be verified. One lady officer needs to interact with the female inmates in a free and congenial atmosphere. Inmates will be specifically asked about any incident of sexual abuse," said the circular issued to the SPs.

There are 324 childcare institutions in Odisha of which six are government-run and rest are privately managed. There are three types of childcare institutes in Odisha, including Open Shelter where a child is kept for a temporary period, Children's Home where a child stays till 18 years of age and Special Adoption Agency (SAA) where a child stays till six years of age and can be adopted.