Bengaluru: Have child care institutions, which were formed under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, become unsafe for children?
The answer is ‘Yes,’ as per the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report No.1 of the year 2016 (Social Sector). According to the report, the records of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, show that 17 cases of child rights’ violations were reported during 2010-15. These include physical and sexual abuse and neglect and mistreatment of children.
This is one of the many shocking observations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). This report, which is based on the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, has made some strong remarks against the state government for not implementing the act in its true spirit. According to the CAG report, it was observed that in many cases the violations were committed by the members/staff of institutions/ JJBs/CWCs themselves.
According to CAG, in the five districts test-checked, it has been observed that during 2010-15, three children from three Children’s Homes had died. This was not reported to the police station, the State Human Rights Commission or the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. Furthermore, the cause of death of a juvenile in a Children’s Home for boys in Bengaluru, was yet to be ascertained even after the lapse of one-and-a-half year! There are thousands of children in the state who are looking for government support under various circumstances.
The state also has a dedicated Karnataka Children’s Fund. But when it comes to utilising this money, which is kept for the welfare of juveniles or children in need of care and protection, the state government did not use even a single rupee!
The Children's Fund was created for the development and rehabilitation of the juvenile or the child dealt with under the provisions of the JJ act. The Fund was to be applied for implementing programmes for the welfare, rehabilitation of juveniles/children, providing medical aid, scholarships/fees for higher education etc.
