Delhi:
A recent investigation into the workings of an orphanage in Delhi has revealed a sordid tale of serial sexual abuse and violence on many children.
The investigation was sparked off by the death of an 11-year-old girl of Arya Anathalaya orphanage in old Delhi, ostensibly due to diarrhea.
A medical examination conducted by the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP)and the post mortem report revealed that the girl had been subjected to repeated sexual abuse.
The Jama Masjid police had accordingly filed a First Information Report based on the findings. However, at that time the culprit could not be determined.
The police then approached HAQ- Centre for Child Rights for assistance in investigating the case.
After interacting with the children, HAQ compiled a report, which it then submitted in the Jama Masjid police station. The report has revealed some sordid details on the abuses the children in the NGO are subjected to.
The older boys reportedly teased and molested the girls in the orphanage. What is further shocking is the fact that the staff of the orphanage treats the children in a similar manner.
The report also reveals regular sexual abuse of the boys by both the older boys and the staff.
It also mentions the case of another girl who was sexually abused in 2009.
Although the orphanage authorities claim it's registered, the report says that it is not so. It currently has 1100 children living in its premises.
Incidentally, this orphanage also housed the teenage girl who brought baby Falak to Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital on January 18, 2012.
The 14-year-old girl had brought the two-year-old baby to the hospital in a battered and bruised condition.
She had reportedly lived in the orphanage for some time before running away. It is unclear if she was abused during her stay here.