On Wednesday morning, 11 young women including nine minor girls along with a three-month-old baby escaped from the government-run home.
Hyderabad:
There is no fear on Navya's face. The 15-year-old says she and 10 others ran away from the government-run Girls Home in Hyderabad on Wednesday morning, only so that they could tell the world the kind of conditions in which they are forced to live.
"We jumped through the small gap, cutting the grill in the window on the first floor to escape. The madams would never let us tell anything to anyone outside. Even when some girl went to court or outside, they would strictly instruct them to say all is well inside," she says.
On Wednesday morning, 11 young women including nine minor girls along with a three-month-old baby escaped from the government-run home. By evening, Navya was found in Secunderabad and brought to the police station.
In September last year, Navya's widowed mother had tried to forcibly marry her off. The 15-year-old complained to the police and was brought to this rescue home in Hyderabad.
"The judge told me I would be safe here and I could study. I want to become a policewoman. But I was forced to drop out of 11th class," she says.
The home was more like a jail, the teenagers say, adding, they were kept locked up all the time. They did not only do their own cooking, cleaning and washing but also were forced to clean bathrooms and utensils, sweep and swab the premises.
"Madams tried to cover up. That is why we want a judge to come and see for himself what the conditions are. So that the rules can be changed. They should provide education. If they keep us within four walls, with no freedom to go anywhere, no TV, no connection with outside world, won't the minds go crazy? The only time we come out is to clean the madams' rooms, bathrooms and wash their tiffin box etc," one of the teenagers told NDTV.
The Home in charge, Girija, explained to NDTV that because they are sent by the court, they had to keep the girls locked up for their own safety.
"What should we do if one of them goes missing? We are answerable, aren't we? But there is no harassment here," she told NDTV.
Telangana's women and child welfare minister has ordered a probe to find out why the girls did not want to stay at the home. He says it is obvious a woman and child welfare department cannot behave like the police. "Either they must be given all facilities they deserve and need, or we should not agree to keep girls and run homes from where girls want to run away," he told the officials.
Savitri, one of the girls who ran away and who had reportedly been tutored by the officials, told the minister all was well at the home. "Then why did you go away?" There was no answer. Only a look at the official standing behind the minister.
When NDTV specifically pointed out that it is tragic that young girls, who are not criminals, are being kept locked up, he agreed. "That is not good. We have to review thoroughly the running of the State Home and Rescue Home. There are some problems. We have to make corrections," the official said.
Director in charge Prashanti says the need is for intensive counselling and ensuring the girls are engaged in activity that interests them and is productive. "We have to find creative solutions and ensure such an embarrassment does not recur," she said.
The running away of the girls has drawn attention to several critical underlying issues and the need for counselling and regular inspections. That state-run home is not meant to be a jail but a place where they learn life skills to live a better life.
"We jumped through the small gap, cutting the grill in the window on the first floor to escape. The madams would never let us tell anything to anyone outside. Even when some girl went to court or outside, they would strictly instruct them to say all is well inside," she says.
On Wednesday morning, 11 young women including nine minor girls along with a three-month-old baby escaped from the government-run home. By evening, Navya was found in Secunderabad and brought to the police station.
In September last year, Navya's widowed mother had tried to forcibly marry her off. The 15-year-old complained to the police and was brought to this rescue home in Hyderabad.
"The judge told me I would be safe here and I could study. I want to become a policewoman. But I was forced to drop out of 11th class," she says.
The home was more like a jail, the teenagers say, adding, they were kept locked up all the time. They did not only do their own cooking, cleaning and washing but also were forced to clean bathrooms and utensils, sweep and swab the premises.
"Madams tried to cover up. That is why we want a judge to come and see for himself what the conditions are. So that the rules can be changed. They should provide education. If they keep us within four walls, with no freedom to go anywhere, no TV, no connection with outside world, won't the minds go crazy? The only time we come out is to clean the madams' rooms, bathrooms and wash their tiffin box etc," one of the teenagers told NDTV.
The Home in charge, Girija, explained to NDTV that because they are sent by the court, they had to keep the girls locked up for their own safety.
"What should we do if one of them goes missing? We are answerable, aren't we? But there is no harassment here," she told NDTV.
Telangana's women and child welfare minister has ordered a probe to find out why the girls did not want to stay at the home. He says it is obvious a woman and child welfare department cannot behave like the police. "Either they must be given all facilities they deserve and need, or we should not agree to keep girls and run homes from where girls want to run away," he told the officials.
Savitri, one of the girls who ran away and who had reportedly been tutored by the officials, told the minister all was well at the home. "Then why did you go away?" There was no answer. Only a look at the official standing behind the minister.
When NDTV specifically pointed out that it is tragic that young girls, who are not criminals, are being kept locked up, he agreed. "That is not good. We have to review thoroughly the running of the State Home and Rescue Home. There are some problems. We have to make corrections," the official said.
Director in charge Prashanti says the need is for intensive counselling and ensuring the girls are engaged in activity that interests them and is productive. "We have to find creative solutions and ensure such an embarrassment does not recur," she said.
The running away of the girls has drawn attention to several critical underlying issues and the need for counselling and regular inspections. That state-run home is not meant to be a jail but a place where they learn life skills to live a better life.
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