Collector orders checkup for children at special home

Kanyakumari: The district collector has ordered a general

checkup

to be conducted for all inmates of the government-aided special home for mentally affected children at Neyyoor to check if any other child was physically abused by those manning the home. The order comes in the wake of the rescue of a 17-year-old mentally affected girl from the home after she was inflicted with multiple burn injuries all over her body by a staff.

Collector Prashant M Wadnere directed the checkup after going through the preliminary inquiry report on the incident that was submitted to him by the district child protection officer (DCPO) S Kumuda and district differently able welfare officer (DDAWO) Kathirvel. The DCPO and DDAWO met the dean of the Asaripallam Government Medical College and Hospital and requested for the checkup of the inmates.

“Since the children cannot be brought here we have asked the hospital to send a team comprising a psychologist, gynaecologist, paediatrician and a general physician to visit the home and conduct the checkup there. On the collector’s direction we also visited the home and conducted inquiries on various aspects and made a note of various observations and irregularities,” the DCPO told TOI.

Kumuda said that the school for special children run by the same management that has 40 children (according to the school records) has special educators who were properly trained, whereas their hostel where 26 of those children were staying did not have such trained staff.