18 girls were rescued from the Chennai orphanage after a distress call alleging sexual abuse

A young girl staying at an orphanage in Vyasarpadi in Chennai frantically dialed Childline number 1098 and contacted the officials. She immediately recounted the children’s harrowing experience and accused the director and his relatives of sexually abusing girls at the orphanage, especially during the pandemic. She told officials about the alleged abuse she and 18 others suffered at the unlicensed orphanage.

Soon, the Chennai Police’s Juvenile Support Police Unit (JAPU) and the Child Protection Committee rushed to the spot and sealed the Socio-Economic Education Rehabilitation Society (SEERS) youth orphanage home at Sathyamurthy Nagar in Vyasarpadi on Monday. It was discovered that the orphanage did not have a license.

The team moved the youth to other youth care centers. However, the director of SEERS Kalayanasundaram fled when police could reach the spot to arrest him. There were reportedly 23 youth living at the home and five of them returned to their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining 18 students, including two college students, lived in the orphanage.

Police said that the principal, his son, brother and some others sexually abused the children during the lockdown. Police also said that Kalayanasundaram’s brother sexually abused the children while he was transporting them home from school in his autorickshaw.

As soon as the child management received the distress call, the District Child Protection Officer (DCPO), Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU) were alerted. The team rushed to the spot and questioned the children. The orphanage was sealed and the statement was recorded.

The children were then born in front of the CWC and placed in a home near Chetpet. The district child protection unit also warned that it is taking action against unregistered houses in Chennai based on information. Strict action would also be taken if orphanages in the city were operating without a license, they added.