The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre what it has done about the more than 1,500 cases of child sexual abuse in shelter homes across the country. Referring to the data submitted by the Centre before the court, the bench said 1,575 boys and girls have been victims of sexual and physical abuse.
“What have you done about it?” the court asked. “Which are the shelter homes where they are kept? What action have the states taken?”
In response, Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, representing the government, told the top court that she would reply after getting instructions from the Centre on the matter.
At least 34 girls were found to have been raped at a shelter home in Muzaffarpur last month. The bench, comprising Justices Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta, directed the Bihar government to make a social audit report of shelter homes in the state. Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Bihar government, told the Supreme Court that three organisations, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, were looking at the psycho-social aspects of the case.
Last week, 24 girls were rescued from a shelter home in Deoria district, following allegations of sexual abuse and trafficking. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath has recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the incident, and the police have arrested the managers of the shelter.
On August 7, the Supreme Court had remarked that minors were being raped “left, right and centre” across the country, citing data released by the National Crime Records Bureau.
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