Madurai: An official team lead by the District Child Protection Unit Officer M Viviliyaraja rescued 20 children including 14 girls from an unregistered home called ‘Child Trust’ at Kadachanendhal near Madurai on Tuesday.
The team members produced the children before district collector Veera Raghava Rao, who directed to keep them in a reception unit.
The Child Welfare Committee members would interact with the children on Wednesday before a final call is taken on their future.
Based on an alert from members of the public, Viviliyaraja and police personnel inspected the home and found the children, all below 14 years, staying in unsafe conditions. The children were studying in a government school at Tallakulam.
The home’s trustee Pandiselvi allegedly forced the children to stay in a single room, which was partitioned by asbestos sheets. And there were no toilet facilities for the children, said Viviliyaraja adding that the home was surrounded by stagnant sewage water.
Pandiselvi did not get building stability, home registration, fire and sanitation certificates from the concerned authorities and she did not registered the home as per the Juveniles Justice Act, said the officials.
The police booked Pandiselvi under section 41 of JJA and remanded her to judicial custody. As most of children were orphans, or have only a single parent, the CWC members would take steps to shift them to other registered homes to ensure that they continue their education.
