Hope round the corner for rescued children

By T. Lalith Singh

HYDERABAD, NOV. 6. Abandoned by biological parents, sold by greedy middlemen and handled as commodities by voluntary agencies, children rescued from different adoption agencies in the State faced a bleak future.

But now, there is a hope round the corner with the Department of Women Development and Child Welfare giving 50 of the 200-odd children for adoption to couples from different parts of the State. The adopted children, aged between eight months and six years, include 44 females.

Another 90-odd applications seeking adoption of the remaining children were being processed. Department officials said children were initially given for foster care for a period of three months and the adoption was being legalised only after studying the child's adjustment to the adopted environment.

``We monitor the adopted child and his new home environment and reserve the right to call back the child if conditions are not suitable,'' says Mrs. C. Sarala Rajyalakshmi, Regional Deputy Director.

As many as 288 children were admitted to the State Government-run Sishu Vihar, out of which 204 were rescued from the adoption agencies like John Abraham Memorial Bethany Home, Precious Moments, Radha Krishna Home, Action for Social Development, Sparsh and Indian Council of Social Welfare during April-May, 2001.

They were shifted here following reports that orphan homes were charged with sending children for adoption to other countries illegally. Officials said three physically challenged children were handed over to an agency located at Hayathnagar for special care and rehabilitation.

In the last six months, 17 children have died due to ailments while 15 others were undergoing treatment at the Niloufer Hospital and Sir Ronald Ross Institute for Tropical and Communicable Diseases.

There were also happy moments at Sishu Vihar when a four-year-old boy, Ch. Sai Nikhil, brought by `Child Line' in August last was restored to his mother. ``Nikhil was found roaming when he was brought here. His father had died and the mother was in Chanchalguda jail serving a sentence. We restored the boy to her,'' Mrs. Rajyalakshmi says.

The home also took under its care another 53 children found abandoned in the City and the neighbouring districts. ``Most of them were found in dustbins including a blind infant in Mahbubnagar,'' she said.

Babies left behind by their mothers at different maternity hospitals also find a place here. Officials said efforts to locate the missing mothers had proved futile as the details furnished during admission were found to be false.

``These babies were either born to unwed mothers or left behind by their parents out of sheer poverty,'' an official says.

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Section  : Southern States
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