Pune
Mirror: Pune: Wednesday, 21 January 2015.
A right to
information (RTI) application has shown that 64 differently abled children have
died in homes across the state over the last three years, a statistic that
becomes particularly alarming when you consider that the state has a total
capacity of only 1,181 such children.
"These
children need extra medical attention, care and nutrition. Their well-being was
under the child welfare department, but is now under the disability
commissionerate," said Dr Yamini Adbe, a child rights activist, who had
filed the RTI application. "While relocating these children, we have come
across special homes who don't take in certain kids. Moreover, homes for the
abled aren't as wellequipped to handle these children. Which could mean there
is absolutely no place where they can be kept and looked after, which has led
to this high-mortality rate."
Those working
for the welfare of the special children also blame parents for not taking
things seriously enough. "Some of the institutes are badly run. And
parents at times don't even care if the child lives or dies, which lets the
institutes get even worse. There are instances where children didn't even get
proper medical help or decent hygiene," said Manav Kamble, an activist
with the Pune-based Jagrut Apang Sanghatna.
Sources in
the social justice ministry who are privy to inspection reports also blame
carelessness for many of the deaths. "Most of the deaths are of specially
challenged (mental) children, since their lifespan is also lesser than their
peers. Most of these incidents take place in the peripheral and rural areas of
the state, areas where hygiene and cleanliness aren't maintained. Moreover, the
caretakers are negligent and fail to take care of children even when they fall
ill. Instead of taking them to doctors, they are given paracetamols," said
an official on condition of anonymity.
Accepting
that the death rate is quite high, he said, "There are several lacunae and
the people involved are interested only in the monetary benefits. Authorities,
too, have a lacklustre attitude," he added. Citing the example of
Bhausaheb Bora Apang Kalyan Kendra in Ane, which witnessed repeated instances
of sexual abuse of children, he added, "We have cancelled the licence of
the school, but it's continuing to function. We want to put a stop to this, but
we seem powerless to do so."
When asked
about why special schools refuse to accept these children, he explained,
"Any school, including those located at institutes for special children,
get grants and other staff according to the number of children admitted until
the cut-off date of August 21 every year. If a child is to be admitted after
this date, the schools may refuse saying they don't have adequate
infrastructure. Maybe schools can have about 10 per cent seats reserved for
last-minute entrants, after considering their specific needs."
Dr Adbe
further added that children suffer if established guidelines aren't followed.
"These are very specific guidelines for establishing residential
institutions. It's merely the apathy of the concerned departments and the slow
pace of work in the establishment of special homes that's to be blamed,"
she said.
When
contacted, Narendra Poyam, disability commissioner for Maharashtra, said,
"I joined only three months ago. I will seek information on this topic and
act accordingly. We will definitely take due care and conduct inspections to
solve this problem."
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