Hyderabad:
At a government-run juvenile home in Hyderabad, the mysterious death of an 11-year-old boy this week has uncovered horrifying conditions in which nearly 200 boys are forced to live.
The boy was found dead in his bed on Wednesday morning in the home located in the city's Saidabad area. The police suspect that he was allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered by a fellow inmate.
An older boy who has been blamed, was also abused in the past; he says he was forced to confess to the crime.
"Another boy told police I had abused him. The police threatened to beat me. So I confessed,'' he said.
The boy who died had been looking forward to go back to his home in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, from where he had run away three years ago. No police personnel had been available to escort him home, so he had to wait.
The home in-charge first said he fell sick and died. Then they claimed he was found hanging and had committed suicide. Inquiries by the police soon suggested that the boy, who had been staying there since August 2013, may have been a victim of abuse.
Over 180 boys live in two dormitories of the building that looks more like a jail. There is no segregation of boys who are between five and 18. They have no privacy; the bathrooms have no doors. There is also no round-the-clock supervision.
Experts say the conditions breed abuse and vulnerability.
"Boys from 5 to 15 are all living together. They must be segregated into different age groups to avoid vulnerability,'' said Achyut Rao of the state Child Rights Commission.
The boy was found dead in his bed on Wednesday morning in the home located in the city's Saidabad area. The police suspect that he was allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered by a fellow inmate.
An older boy who has been blamed, was also abused in the past; he says he was forced to confess to the crime.
"Another boy told police I had abused him. The police threatened to beat me. So I confessed,'' he said.
The boy who died had been looking forward to go back to his home in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, from where he had run away three years ago. No police personnel had been available to escort him home, so he had to wait.
The home in-charge first said he fell sick and died. Then they claimed he was found hanging and had committed suicide. Inquiries by the police soon suggested that the boy, who had been staying there since August 2013, may have been a victim of abuse.
Over 180 boys live in two dormitories of the building that looks more like a jail. There is no segregation of boys who are between five and 18. They have no privacy; the bathrooms have no doors. There is also no round-the-clock supervision.
Experts say the conditions breed abuse and vulnerability.
"Boys from 5 to 15 are all living together. They must be segregated into different age groups to avoid vulnerability,'' said Achyut Rao of the state Child Rights Commission.
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