The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has launched a comprehensive investigation into a shocking case of child abuse involving a two-and-a-half-year-old child at a child protection centre in Kerala. The disturbing incident emerged following a formal complaint that revealed alleged physical harm inflicted on the child's genitals.
The Kerala State Council for Child Welfare (KSCCW), which manages the child protection unit, has taken action by suspending seven contract caretakers implicated in the incident.
The case gained significant public attention after KSCCW general secretary Arun Gopi filed a complaint with the Museum police station. The abuse was initially discovered when a caretaker noticed the child crying during a bath in the last week of November, observing rashes and wounds on the toddler's private areas. Immediately after detection, the caretaker alerted the centre's general secretary.
In response to the incident, the Mahila Congress, the women's wing of the Indian National Congress, staged a protest march to the CWC headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. The protesters demanded a thorough investigation and accountability from the administrative panel overseeing the child protection centre.
On Tuesday, December 3, the Museum Police in Thiruvananthapuram arrested three women in connection with the case.