Child welfare panel member accused of abuse

Child welfare panel member accused of abuse

A series of shocking incidents of child abuse have come to light, with the perpetrator, a Child Welfare Committee member in Bangalore, being suspended on Tuesday. Five girls between the age group of 14 and 17 have alleged they were sexually abused during counselling.
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Official charged with sexual abuse, suspended

Official charged with sexual abuse, suspended
TNN, Sep 9, 2010, 04.09am IST
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Tags:protection of child rights|child welfare committee|association for promotion of social action|apsa
BANGALORE: A series of shocking incidents of child abuse have come to light, with the perpetrator, a Child Welfare Committee member in Bangalore, being suspended on Tuesday. Five girls between the age group of 14 and 17 have alleged they were sexually abused during counselling.

"Three girls from the Girls' Home, one from the Association for Promotion of Social Action (APSA) and one from the Crisis Intervention Centre, complained that they were sexually abused when they were taken for counselling. On September 6, we carried out a joint enquiry with the women and child welfare department and got prima facie evidence. So we passed an interim order recommending that the member be suspended, pending inquiry. The children were traumatised during interrogation. We have now sought an action taken report from the department and asked them to file an FIR,'' Nina P Nayak, chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights said.

Commission member Niranjanaradhya VP on Wednesday confirmed that Balakrishna V Masali, member of the committee, was suspended by the department of women and children on Tuesday. Balakrishna, on his part, denied the charges.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The incidents came to light when a girl from APSA complained to the person in charge of the organization about sexual abuse by August-end. They filed a complaint before the commission on September 4. Subsequently, the commission also received the same complaint from the Government Girls' Home near Kidwai and Crisis Intervention Centre.

Following the complaints, commission chairperson Nina P Nayak and the superintendent and probationary officer of Government Girls' Home, went to the home and took statements from the girls.

"The girls told the commission chairperson that during counselling, they were taken to a private cubicle and sexually abused. They said they had refused to sit beside the member of the CWC," said commission sources.

The superintendent began to receive complaints from these girls in February itself. On August 31, two girls again brought this to the superintendent's notice. But a complaint was filed before the commission only on September 4.

RULES VIOLATED

Niranjanaradhya said though three persons should be present on the CWC, only Balakrishna was there as the term of the other two members had expired. "So, only one member was holding the sessions. This is illegal as one person doesn't constitute a committee. Balakrishna was appointed in April 2007 as CWC member.''

The commission had on September 7 sent an interim order to the women and child welfare department, stating that committee member Balakrishna V Masali had taken advantage of his position and allegedly sexually abused them. "It is gross violation of the Juvenile Justice Act. We had recommended to the department of women and child welfare that he be barred from functioning on the committee with immediate effect, and asked for a detailed enquiry," he said.

On the same day, the department issued his suspension order.

BALAKRISHNA SPEAKS

However, Balakrishna denied the allegations and said he was suspended intentionally. "I suspect foul play by the NGOs in this. I don't even speak harshly to anyone, how can I commit something like this? There was pressure from many NGOs to act according to their demands. The NGOs might have done it intentionally. I am being targeted and the children must have lied to the commission. I have never taken the children separately to the room," he said.