KOCHI: Leaking roofs, dilapidated bathrooms and unhygienic living conditions — this is the situation in the Nirbhaya shelter home for women and children at Poojapura. According to sources, though the building looks stable from the outside, the bathroom walls have cracked and can collapse anytime. Besides, it is also facing issues related to the faulty electrical connection.
Nirbhaya shelter homes were launched in the state by the social justice department under the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society to provide shelter to the victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking. The Nirbhaya Home at Poojapura started in 2013. However, no major renovation or maintenance works has been carried out since then.
The single-storey building with a terrace consists of five rooms, including an office room. Renovation of the building is being planned to add a dormitory and some other facilities but it hasn’t taken off. Currently, there are 40 inmates. “Since the building has become old and no maintenance work has been done, the shelter home is in a dilapidated state. As the building is located in a low-lying and marshy area, it becomes waterlogged whenever it rains, posing difficulties for the inmates to step out. The kitchen roof has also started leaking, said a source
State-wide issue
The officials also said many of the 14 Nirbhaya shelter homes functioning in the state have been facing issues such as lack of facilities and inadequate space. Currently, 361 inmates are housed in these facilities. Eleven of the homes function under the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society. In Kozhikode, Kochi and Kollam, the shelter homes are run by non-government organisations. Plans are in the pipeline to open shelter homes at Pathanamthitta in Thrissur.“Initially, the plan was to construct only three shelter homes in the state to house the victims of sexual abuse or those facing such threats. However, as the project was extended to more districts,” said an official.
There is a ‘Tejomaya’ home to train the teen inmates of the women and children’s homes for competitive exams including the civil services exams at Edakkattuvayal in Ernakulam. It has 19 inmates. About 15 women along with children aged below 12 are housed at the two ‘SOS model children’s homes’ functioning in Thiruvananthapuram