A recent raid by the police at an illegal children’s home running under the name of Grace Home in Jaipur, Rajasthan, shows another inhumane act in which the owner of the home had kept 29 poor tribal girls from the north east, with the promise to provide food, shelter and education. All the girls are aged between 5 to 14 years. Their families back home were happy thinking that their kids are getting the required education. But the story of the Grace Home was totally different than it was shown. Neither were the kids sent to school, nor were the teachers called at home to educate them. They used to study on their own with the elder ones teaching the young ones. The parents were not allowed to call the kids and the kids were never taken out of their so called home, which was found to be in a pretty bad shape at the time of raid. There were more than 600 empty liquor bottles, one toilet and that too in a very bad shape, a store full of rotten vegetables and a single room in which all the girls were staying. A similar school for boys has also been found running under the same owner, Jacob John, in another part of the city. The whole story of this illegal school came into the picture when the parents of a child made a complaint to police after the death of their child.
Who is to blame under such a situation? – A person who is running this school, parents who without getting enough information have sent their kids to such a far away place or the circumstances? Actually in a situation like this, everything and everyone involved is at fault.
Owners of such homes, dupe innocent people for their own vested interest of making money. By showing them greener pasture and giving them a dream of a better life, they manage to allure them and ask them to send their kids across to them. Now for what all purposes these kids, especially girls are used, needs no explanation.
Parents are equally at fault, as how can they send their children with an unknown person and at an unknown place . Moreover, why don’t they try to find out whether any home like this is registered with the government or not, as such kinds of homes need registration? After the complete process of registration, proper papers of registration are provided and time to time inspection of these homes are carried out. Even if the parents are illiterate, then also they should try getting information and if they are not able to get any information then it’s better to keep their kids at home, than forcing them to live a bitter but not a better life. Circumstances are again created by man as no one can force anyone to such an extent. The government cannot come to each and every home, but you can go to the nearest government office to seek information and if they are not helpful, then take the guidance of an educated but reliable person in the village.
When will some of our fellow brothers and sisters understand that money is not everything in life? There are thousands of good ways to earn money and that too without disturbing anyone’s life. We have to stop this game of cheating for our own as well as the country’s betterment.
