DCW finds girls mistreated at shelter home, FIR registered

New Delhi: The DCW on Friday stated that they got an FIR registered against a private shelter home staff for abuse of girls. Police claimed that the case was registered at Dwarka Sector 23 police station. According to DCW in consultation with the Delhi Government, the DCW set up an expert committee on shelter homes to inspect various private and government-run shelter homes in Delhi and give suggestions for their improvement.

On December 27, DCW Members Promila Gupta, Firdaus Khan, Vandana Singh and an external member Ritu Mehra visited a shelter home for minor girls in Dwarka and were devastated to see the conditions there. The committee interacted with girls in age group of 6-9 years, 10-13 years and 13-15 years to understand their experience of residing at the shelter home. The elder girls in the group informed that they were forced to do household chores at the alleged site.

The Press statement claimed that the elder girls washed utensils, cleaned rooms and toilets, washed clothes and did other kitchen chores. There was only one cook in the shelter home for all the 22 girls and staff and the children informed that the quality of food provided to them was improper.

"The expert committee was appalled at the forms of punishment meted out to young children and teenage girls in the home. The elder girls (teenage) complained that any sort of defiant behaviour from the children would be met with serious and grave punishment because of which the girls had become submissive," said the DCW press statement.