Home for child sexual assault survivors to open in Thrissur

Though it can house 200, only 75-100 children will be accommodated there initially

A new Model Government Women and Childcare Home that is being set up at Thrissur to house child survivors of sexual assault will start functioning by early August.

Though it is intended to accommodate 200 survivors, only 75-100 children living in Government Women and Childcare Homes will be shifted there initially, after getting their consent and of their parents.

The move has been mired in controversy since the beginning, with concerns raised over the impact of uprooting the children from the districts they hail from, housing such a large number under one roof, and the logistics of taking the children for hearings against the backdrop of the already low rate of conviction in POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) cases.

The homes, earlier called Nirbhaya homes, are run by the Women and Child Development Department, and managed either by the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society or non-governmental organisations. At present, over 400 residents live in these homes.

Sreela Menon, State coordinator of the Nirbhaya Cell, says a list of 100 children ready to move to the new home has been prepared. Shifting the students to Thrissur is intended to provide them with better education, counselling, and vocational training, not to mention improved infrastructure.

Facilities

The existing homes lack basic facilities, have poor upkeep, and are congested. There are also concerns over the safety of children and their vulnerability to influence by the accused.

Children, those pregnant or with children, adults, and the mentally ill are also lodged together in these homes. “Often, a child who is gradually recovering begins to regress when in the company of a child whose trauma of sexual assault or abuse is recent. Their needs are different, and have to be catered to accordingly.”

Ms. Menon says that the Thrissur home will have separate dormitories to accommodate children of different age groups above the age of 12 who want to continue their education. “The home will have adequate staff in proportion to the number of children. There will be one house mother for 10 children to ensure proper attention,” she says.

Other staff will include a social worker who will also be an educationist and prepare individual child care plans. A legal aid counsellor provided for each case will work with the district homes to ensure that the court hearings go smoothly. “We do not want to shift all the children at one go to the home. Let it begin functioning, so that we can iron out any issues that may arise and everything gets streamlined within a year,” she says.

Addressing concerns about parental visits, Ms. Menon says those belonging to the below-the-poverty line category will be given travel allowance to visit the children in Thrissur. Mothers will be able to stay at the home for three days.

She denies that children belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Tribes communities who are said to comprise 48% of the residents in the homes will end up more vulnerable, pointing out that the two SOS homes for survivors below 12 years of age in Thiruvananthapuram already house children from all districts.

Another advantage of housing more children together is that providing students training depending on their interests will be easier. HLL, she says, will provide life-skill training to the survivors at the Thrissur home.

Kaval Plus for rehab

The important aspect of rehabilitation will be taken up through the Kaval Plus programme that has been extended to cover survivors not only living in the community but also those in the Women and Childcare homes.

The existing homes in districts will not be closed down. They will instead function as entryway homes where children will be accommodated for three months and be provided with medical, psychological, and legal support, and even rehabilitation, if possible.

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