Sexual abuse rampant in Bihar shelter homes: TISS report

Patna: The state government is likely to release the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) social audit report, which highlighted the physical, sexual and mental abuse of inmates at most of the 110 shelter and short-stay homes in 35 districts, including Muzaffarpur where 34 girls were allegedly raped.
TOI is in possession of the report prepared by the TISS’s Koshish team after the audit of 21 specialized adoption centres, 18 children homes for boys and six for girls, eight open shelters for street and slum children, 11 observation homes for undertrial juveniles, 21 short-stay homes for deserted women and five old age homes, among others.
The report mentions rampant physical and sexual harassment, corporal punishment, neglect and humiliation in the “institutions of all categories”.
The 100-page report stated, “Children living in these homes are often locked up in rooms … Grave instances of physical violence were reported in most institutions. A few underage girls were reported to be pregnant and some even had babies.”
The report mentions physical assault on boys by the staff at observation homes. “After dinner, the boys are locked up inside their wards and have no access to toilets throughout the night. We found plastic bottles with urine in it,” the report said.
The girls and women at short-stay homes were found living in complete isolation having no recreational activity. “Casual sexism was found to be rampant,” it said.
The most startling revelations were made in the ‘Grave Concerns — Institutions requiring immediate attention” section on 15 centres, including the girls’ children home (Balika Grih) at Muzaffarpur run by Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti of Brajesh Thakur. “Exclusive in carrying out sexual violence on the girls, all of tender age and from marginalized backgrounds, in the name of punishment and discipline. The girls reported that they were molested by the male staff on a regular basis,” the report said.
Physical violence and sexual abuse were reported by the boys at Motihari children home run by NGO ‘Nirdesh’. One of the staff members reportedly hit the children with a ‘thick pipe’.
At Bhagalpur children home run by ‘Rupam Pragati Samaj Samiti’, letters retrieved from a letter box revealed violence and other violations on the boys.
The boys at Munger children home run by ‘Panaah’ were also beaten up badly. A deaf and speech-impaired boy had a 3-inch-long scar across his cheek as he was hit by the superintendent for refusing to cook food for him.
The boys were always kept locked up at Gaya children home run by ‘DORD’. They showed a thick stick which was used to thrash them, the report said.
Children were found hungry and unhappy at Nari Gunjan (Patna), RVESK (Madhubani) and Gyan Bharti (Kaimur) specialized adoption centres.
The boys at government-run observation home in Araria reported extreme violence against them by a Bihar police guard. One of the older boys had a mark across his entire chest. The report quoted a boy saying, “Is jagah ka naam sudhaar grih se badal kar bigaad grih kar dena chahiye.”
One girl at Patna short-stay home run by IKARD had reportedly committed suicide about a year ago due to violent atmosphere there. Another girl, who was denied access to the phone to talk to her parents, suffered trauma and reportedly lost her mental balance.
Physical violence against women and girls suffering from mental illness was also reported from Motihari short-stay home run by ‘Sakhi’. The counsellor, apart from indulging in physical violence herself, had reportedly asked a few girls/women to beat up the others as per her need.
The inmates of Muzaffarpur Sewa Kutir run by Om Sai Foundation had shown bruises and broken bones. They alleged sexual assault on them and thrashing on a daily basis by the caretakers.
Meanwhile, the social welfare department is preparing an action taken report based on the TISS report. Social welfare department director Raj Kumar said nine FIRs have been lodged so far and 10 persons were arrested in the Muzaffarpur shelter home case. He said the shelter homes at Bhagalpur, Munger and Gaya have also been taken over by the district child protection unit of the department.