ABDUL WAHAB KHAN | NT
PANAJI
The living condition of victims at the protective home in Merces run by the department of women and child development has become neglectful and unhealthy due to improper ventilation, limited space to rest and the sharing of a common toilet and bathroom.
An expert describes the home as “an unhygienic place,” with no water purifier, inadequate ventilation, confined rooms for large number of inmates and dilapidated wooden flooring.
In the absence of a water purifier, the inmates are not even provided with boiled water to drink thereby leaving them prone to water-borne diseases. Shorting of clothes is forcing the inmates rescued from sex trade to wear the same underwear for several days in a row, causing a health and hygiene concern. The authority of the protective home issues each inmate only two pairs of underwear, which means they must be worn on multiple days without washing. On admission, women are provided with two sets of undergarments or every two months, if the need arises. Moreover, as per the rule laid down under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, personal clothes worn by the inmates on admission are not allowed to be used by them and are stored in a locker to be returned back to the inmates on their discharge.
“The practice of administering used underwear that an inmate must wear for multiple days without washing raises serious hygiene concerns. The department must find a way to provide sufficient clothing for the inmates,” says Arun Pandey of ARZ, an NGO working in the rescue operations of sex trafficking victims.
There are three pedestal fans, purchased in June 2005, which are now not in working condition and that makes it difficult for the inmates to get good sleep. Moreover, the inmates are kept in two small rooms and made to sleep on mattresses as dormitories are not capable to accommodating large number of inmates. Pandey said that the deteriorating conditions of the protective home raise issues relating to human rights violation. “By not providing the basic services, they are being treated worst than the prisoners,” he added.
After much delay, the department in November last year, invited a quotation to a purchase water purifier and pedestal fans and similarly, proposals for the purchase of a pressure cooker, roti maker, dining table were also made in June this year. The home is buckling under the weight of an inmate population that has tripled more than twice since 2012.
According to the department of women and child development, the intake capacity of the protective home is a maximum of 20 inmates. However, since 2012 till date, 537 inmates were rescued and admitted in the home and around 349 have been released to their families or relatives while 32 inmates have been repatriated so far. On an average, 90-100 inmates are housed each year at this protective home.
The protective home is actually a rehabilitation centre where victims of sex trade are sent for rehabilitation and taught different skills to equip them for a productive life. The committee in the past had observed that the training imparted at this home needs to be revamped. However, due to poor infrastructure, no staff is taking interest in reforming the inmates. The problem is widespread.
For the last five years, the directorate of women and child development has been requesting the Institute of Public Assistance (Provedoria), in whose premises the protective home is situated, to either carry out repairs or hand over the five decade-old protective home building to them for improvement.
Calling the conditions of the protective home ‘appalling’ and citing structural and mechanical problems that are ‘serious to extremely serious,’ the NGO has attributed the deteriorating care and protection facilities to poor security unable to keep vigil, which has led to an increased risk of escape and violence over the inadequate living conditions. The recent incident on running away of nine inmates from the protective home has again highlighted security concerns and the pathetic conditions of this home.
