The Dwarka police on Saturday arrested four women for abusing girls at a shelter home located in Sector 23. A lady welfare officer, two house mothers and one woman home in-charge were arrested for abusing four girls in the name of discipline.
All the four women were produced in Dwarka court as well. A case has been registered under 75 JJ Act and 6 POCSO act in Sector 23 police station.
The matter came to light on December 27 when a team of Delhi Commission for Women visited the shelter home and got to know about the suffering of four girls. They registered a case at Sector 23 Police Station.
It was learnt that on the advice of the Delhi Government to Delhi Commission for Women, a committee was formed to check the private and government shelter homes whether there is any problem.
It was said that the committee would visit the shelter homes and suggest how to improve the conditions further. In that regard, on 27th December, a team of that committee visited the shelter home at Sector 23 and interacted with the girls of age group 6-9, 10-13 and 13 to 15 years.
They shared their suffering and said that in the name of cleaning and discipline they have been tortured several times. They said that chilli powder was put in their private part as punishment and they were compelled to eat chilli powder too many times. Police has the statements of the girls and they presented it to the court.
Moreover, the girls were also forced to take bath with cold water on the winter morning when they used to wet the beds in night.
Meanwhile, the DCW chief Swati Maliwal tweeted, “Have been informed that 4 shelter home staff have been arrested by Delhi Police. I request CWC to ensure new management of the home and protection for the girls. They need to be rehabilitated properly. Also request Centre to ensure inspection of all shelter homes across the country by sensitive officers at war footing. When abuse can be prevalent in shelter home in Delhi, one can imagine what must be going on in the entire country.”
