The Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) has stated that during an inspection of shelter homes, teenage girls at a shelter home in Dwarka alleged that they were being abused by the staff.
As per reports, the group from the DCW made a surprise inspection of the shelter home on Thursday night. They interacted with the inmate girls aged between 6 to 15 years to understand their experience in the shelter homes. During the interaction session, elder girls at a Dwarka shelter home revealed that they were being abused by the staff.
The girls reportedly alleged that the staff put chilli powder in their private parts to punish unruly behaviour. The girls were also being beaten up regularly and were being put to rigorous chores as the home lacked staff members. Any sort of insubordination used to result in severe punishment. The girls have also reportedly alleged that neither they were given proper food nor were allowed to visit their kin during vacations. The girls also alleged that force-feeding chilli powder was another mode of punishment in the shelter home.
The girls have also alleged that they were beaten with scales and were made to wash clothes, utensils and clean toilets, rooms and the premises. Even the quality of the food served was found to be substandard.
An expert committee from the DCW has been making inspections at shelter homes in Delhi. After the expert committee found complaints at the Dwarka shelter home, DCW chief Swati Maliwal was immediately informed and she reached the shelter home at 8 pm on Thursday.
As per reports, the shelter home was also found to be unhygienic. It is run by an NGO. After receiving complaints from the 22 inmates and seeing the conditions at the shelter home, the DCW informed the Delhi Police.
Dwarka DCP Anto Alphonse has reportedly stated that the police have registered an FIR from the DCW against the shelter home under POCSO Act and Juvenile Justice Act. The police have also deployed personnel to guard the shelter home.
The National Commission of Women and Children had ordered an extensive survey of all the shelter homes in the country after horrific cases of sexual abuse had emerged from a shelter home in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur. The Muzaffarpur shelter home was allegedly being run as a brothel and young girls were being subjected to unspeakable torture and exploitation.