5 girls attempt escape from Vizag Govt Home alleging harassment by staff; HM orders probe

Visakhapatnam: In a dramatic incident, five minor girls were seen trying to escape from the Government Child Home for Girls in Visakha Valley Road here. The girls then protested on the road alleging harassment and torture from the staff.

Responding to the incident, home minister Vangalpudi Anitha spoke to Vizag police commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi and the district collector to find out what happened. The home minister directed a woman police officer and the tahsildar to conduct a detailed inquiry into the allegations.

‘Your mother will sell you’

In a video viral on social media, the girls can be seen trying to jump over the fence of the juvenile home. Protesting on the road, the girls alleged that the staff had been giving them sedatives in the name of medicines without any reason.

“We have been requesting the staff to send us home, but they were not listening to us. Instead, they were telling me that my mother would sell me. Why will my mother sell me to someone?” one of the girls said while her mother stood outside the home.

Who stays at the government home for girls?

The Government Child Home for Girls is a custodial institution that provides shelter to girl children between 7 to 18 years old who are destitute, orphans or those who need care and protection as per the orders of the Child Welfare Committee, Civil Courts and High Court. It currently has 60 members.

According to the statement by the authorities, five girls were admitted to the home with the orders of the Child Welfare Committee of Krishna, West Godavari and Srikakulam and on the orders of the High Court. The girls have been suffering from mental health issues, they said.

Girls counselled by police, child welfare officials for mental health issues

For the last two days, the girls have been wanting to leave the home and have not been taking medicines prescribed by the doctor. The police, led by an ACP rank officer, women police constables, women and child welfare officials and other members came to the home and counselled the children to make them stay at the home in safety.

Speaking to the media, the superintendent of the Government Child Home for Girls Sunitha said that the agitating five girls were under treatment for mental health issues.

“If you observe, the girls have cuts on their wrists, which have been done on purpose. We are giving them the medication as prescribed by mental health hospital authorities. They don’t want to stay here, which is why they are trying to escape in any way possible,” said the superintendent.