Two months after nine young girls were rescued from an unlicensed children's home in Madambakkam, officials from the Kancheepuram Child Welfare Committee alleged that the director of the home had lately been seeking overseas funding to start a new home for girls.
“We found this out after coming across a post on Facebook that mentioned raising funds to help Russel Raj [the director of the home which was closed down] get back all the 14 girls the government had ‘taken’ from his home,” said Zaheeruddin Mohamad, member, Child Welfare Committee, Kancheepuram district.
The 14 girls include five infants rescued from the home last year. The Juvenile Justice Care and Protection Act mandates that children below the age of five must not be kept in child care homes.
The message was also posted on www. gofundme.com, a fundraising website, through which a group raised over $ 5,000 under the title — Rally to Rescue Fourteen Girls Taken from Their Home!
“They have exceeded their initial target of $ 4,000 to get the necessary documents to have a legal home. The government wanted them to make this payment by the end of November,” said Mr. Zaheeruddin.
The latest post announced that Russel was doing his best to get the girls back. “He ran the previous home without the necessary documents and in violation of the rules. Stringent action should be taken against him,” he said.
No FIR till now
When asked if an FIR was filed against Russel Raj, the District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) denied having received any such orders. “We have not received any documents or orders from the collector to file a police complaint against Russel Raj. But we are monitoring his activities and shall not allow him to open a new home,” said the DCPO.
According to officials, Russel Raj’s home — Destitute Charitable Trust — in Jaiwanth Puram, Madambakkam, which he ran with his wife and mother-in-law, was shut down by the Social Defence department in August after he was accused of flouting rules under the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection Act.
“We will be writing to the District Collector, Women and Child Development Ministry, Home Ministry and others concerned so that they freeze Russel Raj’s Foreign Currency Regulation Act (FCRA) licence,” said Mr. Zaheeruddin.
