Rescued children's long wait to return home

Kachiguda: Tulasi, 11, who was rescued by the Child Protection Unit of Hyderabad on January 3 with the help of Sachin Agarwal and Meenai Agarwal of Erranmanzil, was relocated to a government girls orphanage home.

The girl has since been anxiously waiting to be returned to her home in Odisha. As per the rules, rescued children should be sent back to their respective homes within ten days, but due to the negligence of the officials concerned, the child remains in the orphanage home even to this day.

Tulasi has been crying inconsolably for her mother ever since she was brought to the orphanage home and waiting desperately to be returned to her home. Child protection unit, child welfare committee and police have been blaming one another and evading responsibility of rehabilitation of the rescued children.

This is not just the fate of Tulasi. Several such children who were rescued from child labour have been waiting for several months and leading pathetic lives in orphanage homes.

The duty of child protection units and child welfare committee is limited to just rescuing children, but they should ensure that the children are properly rehabilitated, said a member of Balala Hakkula Sangham. Leaving them at the orphanage homes would worsen their lives, as the children require proper treatment and love, the member added.

Balala Hakkula Sangham demanded a high-level enquiry on all the orphanage homes where rescued children are kept and on the irregularities of the child welfare committees. It also demanded that the state government to take necessary measures in handing over the rescued children to their legal parents or guardians at the earliest.