The ordeal of about 20 girls, who were denied accommodation in Sathya Ammaiyar Memorial Home for Destitute Children and were kept waiting for more than two days, came to an end on Wednesday. All of them have been housed either in the same home or a privately-run home in Viswanathapuram by Friday evening.
However, the status of about 40 more girls, who have not returned after summer vacation since they were told that only 35 could be accommodated in the home, continues to remain uncertain.
Officials from Social Defence Department, which is in charge of running the home, said the remaining children were being contacted and it would be ensured they continued their education.
As the girls and their mothers continued to wait outside the home for the third day, a special sitting of the district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) was convened at the home in the afternoon to decide on alternative accommodation for the children. A decision was made after hearing the preferences of the children, all of whom expressed interest to continue their schooling in Kakkai Padiniyar Corporation Girls Higher Secondary School.
Accordingly, C. Jim Jesudoss, Chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, said that three girls were accommodated in the vacancy available in Sathya Ammaiyar Memorial Home for Destitute Children itself since only 32 were residing there at present.
Another 15 were shifted to a privately-run home in Viswanathapuram here. “One child’s mother had not come. Her accommodation will be decided on Monday in the presence of her mother,” he said.
Explaining that 112 children were in the home last academic year, of which 20 passed Plus Two examinations, he said that roughly 40 girls were yet to be traced. “The Social Defence department and the District Child Protection Unit will trace them to ensure their schooling,” he said.
He added that officials will trace these children and bring them to Child Welfare Committee’s office in Muthupatti, where alternative arrangements for their accommodation would be decided on Monday afternoon.
S. Dhanasekara Pandian, Deputy Director (Social Defence), assured that all the children would be traced and accommodated by Monday evening. “Irrespective of the homes where we house them, we will ensure that they get all the benefits of the government and they continued their education,” he said.
