Juvenile Justice Act: 161 orphanages to shut down in Kerala

Stringent regulations and their implementation under the Juvenile Justice Act (JJ Act) brought in by the Central Government is set to sound the death knell for a large number of orphanages in the state.

The Central Government had set a deadline of 31 December 2017 for all orphanages to get registered under the JJ Act. About 1200 orphanages function in the state under the Orphanage Control Board. Out of this, the number of orphanages who got registered is only above 100. Another 161 have already closed down, and 400 institutions have notified that they are going to close, as stated by Orphanage Control Board (OCB) authorities.

A total of 586 institutions had applied for registration, which include those outside the jurisdiction of OCB. But sources close to the service centres indicate that owing to the stringent conditions set for registration, only very few are likely to secure registration.

The managements of orphanages that have been closed already, or will be done shortly, have informed the government that appropriate decision has to be taken regarding the students doing studies in their institutions. They say that they are closing shop only because they are not in a position to comply with the rigid provisions in the JJ Act.

Accommodating 40 inmates in line with the Act's provisions is estimated to cost Rs 55 lacs every year, according to the officials of the orphanages. Orphanages normally raise funds for their running from voluntary donors and charity organizations. Government grant for them is very meagre, i.e. 1,000 rupees per child in a year. The new law lays down that 24 employees should be engaged to take care of 100 children which will put management in dire stress. This is in addition to the cost of constructing new buildings and other facilities.

The law also imposes a fine of Rs 1 lac and imprisonment upto a year for any violation. Organizations engaged in the service are of the view that these are conditions too difficult, if not impossible, to be met.

As per reports from Attappadi tribal area, almost all orphanages there have stopped functioning. In Kozhikode district out of 64 orphanages, 40 have applied for registration under the new law. District authorities of the Social Justice Department have said that legal action will be initiated against the rest of the institutions.