The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has come to the aid of a young mother, who was forced to surrender her children to Child Welfare Commission out of sheer poverty and starvation. Hours after the mother gave her four children, stating that she had no money to take care of them, the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has now offered her a job.
The issue came to light when an unknown caller informed Thanal, a child helpline project of the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare (KSCCW), that one of her children ate mud allegedly when it was hungry. When Thanal intimated the District Child Protection Unit, a member went and met the family, who was living in a ramshackle shanty in Kaithamukku, Thiruvananthapuram.
The mother, identified as Sreedevi, has been offered a temporary cleaning job with the Corporation starting December 3. Meanwhile, her four children — two boys and two girls — have been shifted to a rescue shelter under the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare. The mother has reportedly given a written consent to transfer her children.
Sreedevi’s two other children — three-month-old and 1.5-month-old — have been left under her care. The family has been shifted to an apartment under the care of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
According to Thiruvananthapuram Mayor K Sreekumar, Sreedevi’s temporary cleaning job with the corporation would fetch her a daily wage of Rs 650.
The four children, who are currently under the care of the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare, were taken to the SAT hospital for a medical examination on Tuesday. They will also start going to school shortly.
The family of eight did not have a ration card and hence, could not access subsidised food. Following the incident, a ration card was also issued to them in haste.
Thanal state coordinator K Bahuleyan Nair had first visited their one-room accommodation after being informed by residents in the area. According to reports, the family had no food in the house and only boiled water to drink.
In her consent letter, Sreedevi agreed to hand over her children, stating that they would die of hunger if the Council did not take up their responsibility. She also added that her husband is an alcoholic. According to reports, the council members also stated that the father was abusive towards his six children.