Hyderabad: The Medchal Malkajgiri Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has dropped its plan to hold a bonding exercise between 15 rescued children and the childless couples who had allegedly bought them from a child trafficking gang.
Instead, the children, aged between seven months and four years, will now be placed for legal adoption and will continue to be in their current shelter homes. They will undergo medical examinations before being made “free for legal adoption” within a month, following guidelines of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).
TOI had first reported on Dec 7 that legal and behavioural experts had raised red flags over a ‘bonding exercise’ that could potentially give the children back to the same couples who had broken the law by allegedly buying them. CWC officials were planning to put the children and the couples in the same room to see if they bonded. If they noticed an emotional connection between the two, the plan was to allow the couples to take the children home.
Accepting that the bonding exercise would have set a dangerous precedent, a representative of the Medchal Malkajgiri district child protection office (DCPO), said, “Once declared free for adoption, anyone seeking to adopt can do so under CARA’s strict regulations. Prospective adoptive parents must meet specific age criteria, have a stable marital relationship if adopting as a couple, demonstrate financial stability, good health, and the ability to provide a nurturing environment. Also, parents do not get to choose the child.”
“Allowing the bonding exercise could have complicated future cases, effectively validating illegal adoptions,” said Nirmala Kanthi, director of the CWC. “These children deserve a secure, legal family environment. Efforts are being expedited to ensure they find safe and permanent homes through legal means.”
The decision to scrap the bonding exercise has upset the families who allegedly bought them from a gang. One such parent, who claimed to have raised a rescued child for four years, expressed deep distress. “This is unfair. My daughter is my own, even though I didn’t give birth to her. If necessary, all the parents will re-appeal in the high court. Our petition seeking custody is still pending,” the parent told TOI.
Meanwhile, the police have intensified their investigation into the trafficking racket. “We are questioning the traffickers to uncover the children’s origins. We are working to locate 45 more children who were reportedly trafficked with this gang. Tracing these missing children is our top priority,” said R Govinda Reddy, station house officer of Medipally police station.
