Medical examination for all children at CWC home in Kerala where toddler was physically abused, says panel

Thiruvananthapuram: The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Thiruvananthapuram said on Thursday that it would request the district medical officer (DMO) to conduct medical examinations of all the children at the CWC-run home where a toddler was recently physically abused.

Advocate Shaniba Begum, chairperson of the Thiruvananthapuram district CWC, told media that a team of doctors would be assigned to conduct the examinations to determine if any other children at the home have been physically harmed.

Earlier in the day, Begum told a TV channel that no one has the right to injure children living in CWC homes. She also stated that such incidents of physical harm to children had never been brought to their attention before.

Describing the incident as "shocking", Begum emphasised that such women were not fit to serve as caretakers for children. She also mentioned that the toddler is recovering and is in better health now.

On Tuesday, three women caretakers were arrested for allegedly abusing a two-and-a-half-year-old girl by inflicting physical harm on her private parts for wetting the bed at night. The three women were contractual employees of the CWC and were charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to the police.

Police stated that the three accused women had recently caused injuries to the child's private areas due to the girl's bedwetting, which disturbed their sleep.

On Wednesday, state Health Minister Veena George condemned the incident, affirming that the state government would not tolerate any form of abuse against children and would take stringent action against the culprits.