NCW finds security issues at women rehabilitation homes

Lack of security, unhygienic living conditions and no skill development programmes were among findings of inspections carried out by the National Commission for Women at rehabilitative homes for women.

The inspection was carried out by the NCW across 35 'Swadhar Grehs' that give temporary shelter to women who are in need of institutional support for rehabilitation.

These homes aim to provide shelter, food, clothing and health as well as economic and social security to women in distress.

The NCW inspected the 'Swadhar Grehs' in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal and submitted its report to the Women and Child Development Ministry.

The commission found that guidelines set by the government were not being followed at these homes.

"Girls below 18 years, women who are over 60 years and mentally challenged women are all kept together. There were no separate facilities for them," NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said.

Other observations made by the NCW include lack of counselling, non-availability of legal aid, no skill development or vocational training, unhygienic living condition, lack of proper security and ill treatment to residents at these homes.

Sharma said the entire 'Swadhar Greh' scheme needs to be "relooked and remodelled" and there is a need to cross-check the credibility of the NGOs who are taking care of these homes.

"We also found fake addresses of NGOs who run the 'Swadhar Grehs'. The maximum capacity of these homes are 30 but in many of the inspected homes the capacity was less than 10," she said.