*Anahita Mukherji* * 2 Apr 2011* *MUMBAI*: A month after the alleged rape of five mentally challenged girls at a Panvel shelter came to light, the Bombay high court-appointed committee looking into the condition of shelters in the state said on Friday that there could be a possibility of collusion between the government and those running the shelter.
"There is a possibility of collusion between the management of the Panvel home (Kalyani Mahila and Bal Vikas Sanstha) and some official(s) in the Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD) in granting registration and licences to the home. How can registration and licences be granted when there are no facilities for mentally challenged children? The criteria for registration have not been followed in this case," said the report. The report also speaks of links between the Panvel home and a shelter in Pune, the Anand Mahila and Balkalyan Shikshan Va Punarvasan Sanstha, Shirur. According to the report, records available from 1999 to 2006 show that both Ramchandra Karanzule, trustee of the Kalyani Home in Panvel, who is now under arrest, and Anand Sarode, who currently runs the Anand Home in Shirur, were jointly running the Panvel home. When Sarode applied for the closure of the Panvel shelter home in 2006, Karanzule started a shelter on the same premises in 2009. Sarode is also a member of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). The report calls this a clear conflict of interest, adding that Sarode needs to step down from one of the positions. The report points to the fact that despite the abuse of girls at the Panvel Home being so blatant, it took the committee two days to figure out what was going on. It also raises questions over why the abuse was not brought to the fore by the CWC or the DWCD. According to the committee report, children at Anand Home in Pune had bruises and marks on their hands indicating child labour. "If the Pune divisional team (of the HC committee) could observe the bruises and marks of physical labour on children's hands during their short visit, were they not observed by the DWCD and CWC officers," says the report, asking that action be taken against both government bodies for not doing their job. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-02/mumbai/29373890_1_panvel-shelter-panvel-home-kalyani-mahila -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/MhaNewsViewsIndia?hl=en ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers
