NHRC Member, Shri S.C. Sinha visits Homes in Lucknow

Shri S.C. Sinha, Member, NHRC visited the Government Observation Home for Boys, Children Home for Girls and Swadhar Shelter Home for Women in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh respectively on the 13th & 14th February, 2015. The Observation Home for Boys houses about 109 inmates, who were in conflict with law. He found that hygiene, sanitation and kitchen were by and large satisfactory except some of the following points:
1. Juvenile Justice Court operating from this Home needed to be shifted; some more rooms could be constructed to address the problem of overcrowding;
2. Staff needed to be increased proportionate to the inmates;
3. Boys older than 18 years should not be referred to stay with younger children.
While visiting the Government Children Home for Girls, having at present 63 inmates, the NHRC Member found that most of the facilities were by and large satisfactory. However, he observed that a dedicated vehicle for emergency purposes was needed to be earmarked. This Home provides care, protection and rehabilitation to orphan girl children, run-aways from home, rescued from child labour and those whose parents were in jail.
During his visit to Swadhar Shelter Home for Women, he found that it provides all the essential facilities and training programmes for 50 women and 30 children but it required to be shifted to some bigger place. This Home is dedicated to providing safe shelter and rehabilitation to helpless, trafficked and destitute women.