TISS report ticks off shelter homes

The shameful incident of girls being sexually assaulted at different shelter homes in Bihar would have largely remained under wraps had the state government not roped in the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) for social audit of such centres.

In its report submitted to the Nitish regime earlier this year, it said, "While abuse, varying in forms and degrees of intensity, was reported to be prevalent in almost all institutions, there were certain institutions that stood out in a manner that was appalling. Almost all the institutions were found to be running in violation of the respective schemes and the essence of the Juvenile Justice Act, but the residents' inalienable right to life was in question in certain institutions.”

The TISS team, which took stock of the various shelter homes and short-stay homes in different districts, was more scathing about Muzaffarpur Balika Grih (Children Home).

"The girl-children home in Muzaffarpur was found by us to be running in a highly questionable manner along with grave instances of violence... several girls reported about violence and being abused sexually.....The girls had no access to any sort of open space and were literally locked up in their wards except for when they went to the dining hall to take their meals," the TISS report said.