Warangal Urban: The escape of two children from the Government Observation Homes for Boys at Auto Nagar in Warangal in the early hours of Saturday exposed the security lapses at the home. This was the second such incident as one child in conflict with the law (CCL) also escaped from the home a fortnight ago.
Though the police registered a case and launched a hunt to nab the escaped children, several children rights’ activists and officials point out the fact that the government is running both Government Observation Home for CCL boys and Government Children Home for orphans and semi-orphans in the same building. These homes are run under the control of the Juvenile Welfare, Correctional Services Department of Telangana State.
Speaking to ‘Telangana Today,’ Founder president of the Society for Public Welfare Initiative (SPWI) Dr Suresh Devath said, “Running two homes from the same premises is against and in violation of Supreme Court guidelines which were issued in a judgment on ‘Sampurna Behrua Vs Union of India 2005’ case and provisions of Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection ) Act, 2015.”
According to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, Children who are under 18 and commit a crime should be placed in judicial custody i.e. Observation Home. As per the Juvenile Justice Act, there are two types of children – CNCP (Child in Need of Care and Protection) and CCL (Children in Conflict with Law).
These two kinds of children come from different backgrounds and need separate institutions to look after their care and protection. Further orphan, semi-orphan, destitute, neglected, runaway children are kept in children’s homes, while those who commit crime are kept in an observation home. “Their needs and requirements are different. They should not be clubbed and lodge in the same premises. But both the CCL and CNCP children are being placed in the same building for the last five years in Warangal,” an official with the Child and Women Protection said.
On the same campus, the Government Observation Home for Boys (GOHB) has its own building but it was not used by the authorities for several years since it was in a dilapidated condition.
Following this, the GOHB was shifted temporarily in 2015 to the building where the Government Children Home for Boys. Since then, officials have not bothered to shift the GOHB out of this campus or to another building, Dr Devath said.
“Due to this, the CCL and CNCPs have been living together and mingling every day. Hence, the CCL’s impact reflects on the CNCP and leads to offensive and aggressive attitudes or behaviour among the CNCP (children with no criminal cases). This is not good for normal children,” said Dr Devath.
Sources also said that the officials of the District Legal Service Authority (DLSA), Warangal and Juvenile Justice Board, Warangal, visited the campus many times, but they did not bring this issue to the notice of the State Legal Services Authority, Telangana, and the High Court Committee on Juvenile Justice till date for separation of these two homes.
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