Bhubaneswar, April 24: The state government has asked the Sambalpur district collector to initiate steps to protect the interest of the children who were allegedly subjected to sexual exploitation at Deep Jyoti Bala Ashram at Naxapali village there.

The district administration had rescued about 20 children, aged between 8 and 13, from the ashram after a case was lodged at Dhanupali police station of Sambalpur on April 2.

The chairperson of child welfare committee, Deeptibala Patnaik, alleged that Upinder Das, who runs a childcare institution known as Deep Jyoti Bala Ashram, used to torture and sexually exploit the home’s inmates. Following the complaint, the home’s children were sent to another a childcare institute located at Chanchanpali.

As the news of children’s sexual exploitation raised a hue and cry in the state, the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) took the case for inquiry and submitted its report to the state government on April 8. The commission alleged that the home, which has been operational since 2006, did not have a transparent governance system.

Based on the recommendations of the OSCPCR, the state government told the district administration to initiate action against the home and furnish a report to the government at the earliest.

The state government has also asked that district administration to provide proper medical care to the victim inmates, along with a financial compensation under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

The government has also directed the district administration to make arrangements for sending back the children to their respective families.

Similarly, the district child welfare committee has been requested to initiate measures immediately to declare these children legally fit for adoption.

Steps should be taken to ensure that children’s rights are protected and initiatives are taken only to protect the best interests of the children.

Besides, the state government has also decided to start a series of programmes to make people aware of children’s rights. The district administration has to take effective measures to ensure that the child welfare committees functioned properly.