DCW unhappy with CWC action on 3 rescued girls

On Thursday, the three girls were produced before Child Welfare Committee (CWC) with a request to rehabilitate them.

The DCW coordinator had specifically requested the CWC to ensure that the girls be kept together in a proper hostel where they can study, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal said in a letter to the district magistrate.

"However, in a shocking development, the girls were immediately handed back to the parents by the CWC. There appears to be no enquiry into the matter," she said.

"Even the girl who had been chained and was suffering from drug addiction was not sent to a drug deaddiction centre.

"Instead of taking strong steps to ensure that the girls are no longer forced to beg, the committee callously sent the girls back to the same abusive environment. This is totally unacceptable as the girls were highly vulnerable, abused and neglected," she said.

The DCW coordinator had sought that the girl suffering from drug addiction should be counselled and efforts be made for her de-addiction. Also, it was requested that the committee may consider providing visitation rights to the parents, Maliwal said.

On Wednesday night, the DCW had rescued the three minor girls from near Anand Vihar Metro Station here.

Following the rescue of the minor girls, Maliwal also identified their parents who lived on a pavement near the Anand Vihar Metro Station. There were 11 members in the family, including nine children.

Their mother was pregnant and the father was found in an inebriated state when Maliwal visited the family.

The commission, during their visit, was "shocked" to find the sister of the rescued girls chained to a tree. The parents claimed that she had got addicted to drugs and that is why they had chained her, the statement said. However, the girl was unable to say anything. With help from police and the parent's consent, DCW took the sisters to a shelter home.