As per the official data provided by the Social Welfare department, the number of juvenile rapists lodged in the observation homes both in Shillong and Tura is 13 while the number of juvenile thieves is 12.
While there are five juvenile murderers lodged in the observation homes, three juvenile militants are also lodged in the observation home in Tura.
As per the data, there is one juvenile lodged in Tura who ran away from home due to the atrocities of parents. Two juveniles, who are separately lodged in Shillong and Tura, are orphans.
There are two juvenile homes for boys in the State, one in Shillong and another in Tura, while there is only one juvenile home for the girls in city which is often over crowded.
While the reported cases are a few, unreported criminal cases involving minors are plenty.
There are also cases of juveniles fleeing the juvenile homes in the State, and the reasons are overcrowding besides the inability of the juveniles to cope up with the routine in the observation homes.
For the last five years, 11 juveniles fled away from the observation homes (Shillong-5, Tura-4 and two girls from Shillong). As many as six boys aged between 14 and 17 fled from the observation home for boys at Cleve Colony in the city in July this year. Majority of them returned later.
There was an inquiry conducted after the juveniles fled away from Cleve Colony and the officials have decided to find a better accommodation for the inmates as the present rented house is in a dilapidated condition.
Moreover, the problem with the present juvenile home is that it is not spacious. It can accommodate 40 inmates, but the house is congested and there is no room for outdoor activities.
Though the Government had allotted land at Mawdiangdiang, the construction of separate juvenile homes for boys and girls is yet to commence.
An official, however, said that despite limitations in the juvenile home at Cleve Colony, as part of reforming the juveniles, counseling, craft, music and yoga are being initiated. Health check up of the inmates is also being conducted periodically, he informed.
Minors lodged in juvenile homes
Juvenile rapists: 13
Juvenile thieves: 12
Juvenile murderers: 5
Juvenile militants: 3
Source: The Shillong Times
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