The frustrated administration of the state-run Apna Ghar vented their ire at the media on Friday for “not seeing the positive side” of Apna Ghar and doing negative stories. “These things happen in many homes throughout the country, but you focus only on Apna Ghar”, we were told.
It is irrelevant to waste time and space in arguing why we report on Apna Ghar and not other ghars across the countryside. We and many others in Goa have been waiting to see one candle lit in the darkness of Apna Ghar, for the celebrations to begin.
Where are the positives when children in the need of care, love and affection break out in a violent rash, get involved in petty and even serious crimes and repeatedly escape from the “home”? Where do we find positives when gangsters and Apna Ghar staff collude to allow inmates to go out of the home, do petty crimes and come back? Where do we find positives, when there are disturbing reports of women kept in the shelter of Apna Ghar have been further victimized?
Over the years, this has become a shelter home which needs to protect itself, its reputation and the future of children in conflict with law and needing special care. Ditto for victimised women.
Friday’s rampage at the ghar where inmates destroyed property and furniture is not a stand out incident. It has almost become a pattern. In the past children have escaped under the cover of violence, only to be of service to gangsters for quick money. The arrest of a caretaker Videsh Mandrekar, gangster Zenito Cardozo and four children had exposed the nexus as minors were used to commit offences like robbery, thefts and one was also involved in murder.
In 2012, after frequent escapes, the government had set up a one-man committee to conduct an inquiry. However, though the Levinson Martins report was accepted, nothing was done except increasing the compound wall height and initiating disciplinary action against caretakers. The recommendations of the committee included changes in the staffing pattern, separating children in conflict with law from children in need of care and protection, assigning a separate building with a separate compound for girls; reactivating children’s committees, making care-plans for every child and ensuring that children are kept physically and mentally busy through various activities.
In April 2014, the Goa government finally decided to act on the recommendations of the Levinson Martins report and bring in changes in controversial shelter Apna Ghar. That promise itself is turning out to be a big act.
The government indicated that 24×7 surveillance cameras would be fitted in the entire premises including the buildings where juveniles are in conflict with law as well as children in need of care and protection are lodged. It was expected that CCTV cameras inside the building would reveal the working of the Apna Ghar staffers as well the children’s living conditions. CCTVs in the outer premises would keep a check on children who were intending to escape from the campus.
The escapes from Apna Ghar have become routine. From January 2014 to April over 36 inmates have escaped, including five boys who vanished in April.
The government and law enforcing agencies must realise that a mere use of force and a crackdown on inmates getting into further conflict with law will not help. The problems are more endemic. They need gentle, sensitive human solutions.
For instance in a gazette notification in May, the Department of Women and Child Development had prepared a operating manual to be followed by the staff in situations of violence, rioting or escape of inmates. The manual authorized police to use minimum’ amount of physical force at Apna Ghar to prevent children from inflicting self harm, attacking and endangering life and safety of other inmates and officials and also prevent damage and destruction of property. This was objected to by many child rights organizations who felt that it is very difficult to qualify ‘minimum force’.
Moreover the act of violence and escape is the ultimate fallout of the situation, not the cause or beginning of it. This needs fixing not by lathis but hearts with a strong mind to put in place mechanisms. The Levinson Martins Committee report had several practical recommendations. It is important to implement them. Most importantly children who arrive there in different situations should be kept separately so that the negative baggage of each other, do not rub off.
Lastly, this should indeed be run as a home for repair and restoration of faith and not as a remand home, a police station or jail. And finally maximum force should be used against unscrupulous staff, local gangsters and others who have used and abused these children. They are the biggest violators.
