Maneka Gandhi tweeted that she was “deeply anguished” by the rape of 34 young girls by staff at a government-funded home in Bihar, a case that has caused nationwide outrage since it was uncovered last month.

But Anant Kumar Asthana, a child rights lawyer who advises homes on legal compliance, said phones and helplines were not the solution, calling the case a “glaring example of how pathetic the system is”.

“Giving posters and telephones is not sufficient because these children are living in an institution and know that if they complain, people inside will come to know,” Asthana told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“We must acknowledge the vulnerabilities of such children. These childcare institutions are basically incarceration facilities where children are locked up and they have no agency, no free will or sufficient protections.”

Sexual and physical abuse are common in India’s care homes, where many children are placed by parents who are too poor to feed, clothe and shelter them, campaigners say.

Data provided by CARA reveals that more girls were put up for adoption in the last two years

New Delhi: It was touted as a sign of changing social mores. In May this year, the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), under the Maneka Gandhi-led Ministry of Women and Child Development, claimed that since 2012, nearly 60 per cent of those adopted across the country were girl children.

CARA CEO, Lt. Col. Deepak Kumar, even went on record to say that this had nothing to do with more girls being given away for adoption. He instead asserted that Indian couples were “preferring” girls.

But ThePrint has now found that there is more to it than growing progressive mindsets among Indians who want to be parents, at least in the last two years. CARA, in an RTI response, has said that 60 per cent of the children registered for adoption in the last two years have been girls.

Just more girls up for adoption

Alisa (36) spoort haar biologische moeder op in Chili en ontdekt dan dat haar adoptie een leugen was

kg 29 juli 2018 10u42 Bron: CNN

DEEL VIA FACEBOOK TWEET9 REACTIES

CNN

BIZAR Ruim dertig jaar lang kreeg de Amerikaanse Alisa Clare Cohen te horen dat ze geadopteerd was omdat haar biologische ouders haar hadden afgestaan vlak na de geboorte. Nu is ze erin geslaagd om haar biologische moeder op te sporen in Chili. En wat blijkt: Alisa werd helemaal niet opgegeven voor adoptie.

Orphanage horror: 37 abused kids rescued

Children, aged between eight and 15 years, were crammed into a small makeshift shelter built using tin sheds; cops launch hunt for the other maulana

By Vishal Srivastav

Incident came to light after two boys escaped; the police arrest one maulana

In one of the biggest rescue operations carried out in the city, as many as 37 children, who had been forced to live in the most inhuman conditions, were freed from an orphanage in Katraj. Subsequently, the kids revealed that they were being sexually and physically exploited at the shelter.

36 Children Rescued From Pune Madrasa After Cleric Arrested For Sex Abuse

The madrasa reportedly had children from Bihar, who are aged between 5 and 14.

PUNE: A total of 36 students were rescued by the police from a Pune Madrasa on Friday after reports of sexual abuse surfaced. The children, who come from Bihar, as as young as 5 years of age.

The Maulana of the Madrasa, 21-year-old Rahim, had been arrested on charges of sexual assault in Pune's Katraj suburb after two 10-year-old children ran away from the Madrasa.

After they were rescued by a Child Welfare Committee, they said that they ran away as one of the clerics who visited the institution used to sexually abuse another inmate. They also reportedly revealed that revealed that Rahim would ask them them to undress and then touch their private parts.

The statements of the children were recorded by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). During investigation, it was found that all the children hail from Bihar and some of them are not even orphans, triggering suspicions of a child trafficking racket.

Chaitanya Mangure | CNN-News18Updated:July 28, 2018, 12:55 PM IST facebookTwittergoogleskype

Maulana Held for Sexual Abuse at Pune Orphanage; 36 Children Rescued, Trafficking Suspected Representational Image.

Pune: In one of the biggest rescue operations carried out in the city, 36 children were freed from a Muslim orphanage in Pune's Katraj area after two of them alleged persistent sexual exploitation by a maulana. The accused cleric was arrested by the police and booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act on Friday.

Two boys, both 10-year-old, had recently escaped from the orphanage and were found at the railway station by an NGO.

Illegal adoption: 85 childcare institutions to be inspected

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 26

Against the backdrop of the recent cases of alleged illegal child adoption reported from the Missionaries of Charity, a trust founded by Nobel laureate Mother Teresa, in Jharkhand, the Haryana Government has decided to conduct special inspections of 85 childcare institutions in the state.

Harmonising laws is vital

The proposed amendments to child marriage/adoption laws are progressive but are short-sighted and not in tandem with parallel existing family law legislations

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) has proposed two amendments to the existing statutory enactments relating to marriage and adoption laws. The first proposal seeking approval of the Union Cabinet attempts to amend Section 3 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA). Reportedly, the WCD is stated to have circulated a draft Cabinet note proposing to make child marriages void ab initio, ie invalid from inception. Currently, Section 3 of the PCMA makes child marriages voidable ie, which can be terminated or annulled at the option of an aggrieved party.

The second suggested change is in the realm of enabling speedier adoption of children by proposing to amend provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, (JJ Act) to recognise District Magistrates/Collectors as the competent authority for issuing adoption orders under the JJ Act.

Beneficial, benevolent and progressive as the proposals may be, they are shortsighted and do not seem to be in tandem or harmony with parallel existing family law legislations. This may tend to create statutory conflicts with contradictory and inconsistent interpretations in issues relating to marriage, adoption and guardianship. The wholesome solution then may be to let them remain as it is or incorporate similar amendments in other existing laws for harmonious views.

Malcolm Sweeting

London

Clifford Chance has echoed the UK Government's landmark commitment to promote family and community-based care for all children, as announced at this week's Global Disability Summit, by joining forces with UBS Optimus Foundation and Allen & Overy to launch a new ‘Private Sector Pact'.

Led by international charity Hope & Homes for Children, a global strategic pro bono client of Clifford Chance, this new Pact sets out a pathway for change to ensure businesses can play a leading role in eliminating the growing problem of orphanages in the developing world.

As a signatory, Clifford Chance states that "we share the UK’s pledge to all children realising their right to family care - and that no child is left behind. We are committed to ensuring that our businesses do not, either directly or indirectly, contribute towards the institutionalisation of children; and to instead support family and community based services.”

Kiran Modi (centre), the founder of Udayan care

Kiran Modi (centre), the founder of Udayan care

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