Show-cause notice served for guidelines violation; orphanage says women accommodated for medical care

Despite guidelines from the state government restraining orphanages from accommodating unwed mothers, an orphanage was found to be illegally housing four such women. The District Women and Child Development Officer had conducted a surprise check at the Shreevatsa adoption centre located in Sassoon hospital and run by Society of Friends Of Sassoon Hospital (SOFOSH).


Pulled up: The Shreevatsa adoption centre located in Sassoon hospital.
The adoption centre is run by (right) Society of Friends of Sassoon
Hospital (SOFOSH). Pics/Krunal Gosavi

The government had issued the guidelines with an intent to prevent the orphanages from pressurising unwed mothers to give up their child for adoption.u00a0 It was found that the women were kept in an isolated dark room behind the office premises, which is a secluded area imperceptible from the main entrance. The District Women and Child Development Officer Suvarna Pawar has served a show-cause notice to the adoption centre.

Madhuri Abhyankar, director of SOFOSH, said the four women had come for medical care and counselling at the time of surprise check and they were not permanently staying at the centre. "If an unwed mother approaches the institution she is referred to Chaitanya Mahila Mandalu00a0-- as short stay home," Abhyankar said.

Pawar said: "I was conducting a surprise check on institutions meant for children between the age group of 0-6 years. I noticed four unwed mothers sleeping in the room at SOFOSH. The women claimed they were staying at the institute for the past three months" District Women And Child Development officers said they would send a proposal to the state government to take action.

Deputy Commissioner H B Rathod said it was a clear-cut violation of rules. A stringent measure against the adoption home could be cancellation of its licence. In this case, action to be taken can only be decided after taking a close view of the explanation submitted by the institution," said Rathod.