TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Department of Women and Child Development has deputed a team of officials to bring back to Goa, an underage girl child, who was allegedly illegally given in the custody of Gorakhpur Child Welfare Committee by the South Goa CWC.
The ‘escort team’ is expected to leave for Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh by train on Thursday. A senior officer said that the team along with the child will return to Goa by next week after completing the formalities.
It is reliably learnt that government had last month approved bringing back the child and directed issuing of an order in this regard. The department and South CWC were roped-in the process. Failure to get confirmed train tickets and posting of government officials for election duty, had deferred the travel.
The matter pertains to a complaint filed by NGO Anyay Rahit Zindagi (ARZ) in 2013 seeking National Commission for Protection of Child Rights’ (NCPCR) intervention to order an inquiry into the transfer of the child by South CWC to Gorakhpur CWC allegedly without the knowledge of her mother. The NGO had confirmed that the girl’s mother hails from a remote Madhya Pradesh village and does not have any relations in Uttar Pradesh.
The NCPCR, pointing out ‘gross violation of rights’ recommended “point wise action taken report …” and to conduct a review of past cases that have been transferred to other districts within or outside the state. Considering the observations of NCPCR and request made by CWC Gorakhpur to take the child back, the department accordingly communicated with the committee in February.
