KOTTAYAM: Nine minor girls who had fled a children’s home in Kerala's Kottayam were found few hours later from the neighbouring Ernakulam district on Monday.
The girls, some of them victims in Pocso cases, were traced by a special team formed by the Kottayam SP soon after the incident. The girls were the inmates of the children’s home run by the Kerala Mahila Samakhya society which is under the Woman and Child development department (WCD) of the government. According to Police, the girls were found from Elanji near Koothattukulam in Ernakulam district.
It was the staff of the centre who found the girls missing around 5.30am on children’s day. The girls found their way outside the building through a passage made after cutting a cardboard sheet which was fixed in place of a broken glass pane in the front part of the building. They then jumped over the compound wall and escaped. The girls took a train and got down at Kaduthurthy and proceeded further in bus. The centre has been functioning from this rented house for over three years now.
Despite the centre being located in a densely populated area, nobody noticed the nine girls leaving the place. There are 15 inmates in the centre. The girls are accommodated in two dormitories. Among the girls who fled, seven had joined the centre recently while two had been here since December 2021.
Though 11 staff have been sanctioned for the centre, there are only seven at present. The post of one security person, matron and social worker has been lying vacant. There was no security on duty when the girls had fled the house. Those in charge of the centre said that they are not receiving the financial aid provided as grant for the last few months. The centre is also giving huge amount as rent for the building.
Meanwhile, an investigating officer in the squad said that the girls had cited lack of freedom and restrictions as the main issues they are facing that forced them to escape. He also said that the girls have been moved to child-friendly place and the police will be filing report to the court. Based on the direction of the court the future shelter home for the girls will be decided.
Meanwhile, an official of the CWD said that the centre is only an entry home for the girls and normally they stay in such centres for only three months and they will be moved to children’s home with more facilities after this.
Meanwhile, local residents said that there were several incidents of inmates escaping from this shelter earlier also. Jayamon, a local resident said that two days back the loud cry of girls was heard from the centre. The girls had locked themselves up in one of the dormitories and were crying together loudly as a protest. The local residents informed Police and Police came and held talks with the girls in the presence of a few neighbours.
The girls had raised the issue of lack of freedom and also being denied meetings with their family members as a reason for the protest, said Jayamon.
Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, the local MLA who visited the home urged the government to release immediately the grant amount due. He also cited the need of an own building for the centre and appointment of more staff. "Protection, food and education of the girls should be ensured," he said.
