24 Meghalaya children return from unregistered Karnataka facility

Twenty-four children from Meghalaya arrived home safely on December 2 after being brought back from Chikkaballapur district in Karnataka, where they had been staying in an unregistered and poorly maintained facility.

The children were formally received at the Directorate of Social Welfare in Shillong, with officials and child-rights representatives present during the handover.

Agatha Sangma, chairperson of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), said the safe return marked the priority of the day's proceedings. She thanked officials in both Karnataka and Meghalaya whose joint efforts ensured the children travelled back unharmed.

However, Sangma expressed alarm at the growing frequency of such cases, where children are moved outside the state without proper authorisation. She recalled a similar episode a few months earlier and stressed the urgent need for preventive action.

The SCPCR has written to the chief minister proposing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to regulate the movement of minors to out-of-state institutions. The recommendation emerged from a stakeholder meeting involving officials from law enforcement, social welfare, education, health, and police departments.

Under the proposed framework, district child protection officers would need advance notification before any child is transferred. Documentation of the children and receiving institutions would be mandatory, along with verification of the facility's legal status. The purpose and length of stay must be clearly stated, and medical checks conducted before departure. Communication channels between child protection officers in both states would be set up to monitor children's welfare throughout their stay.

Sangma said the lack of such oversight has enabled improper transfers to continue unchecked.

She also called on parents to stay informed and alert. During meetings with affected families, many admitted they did not know the names or locations of the institutions housing their children. She urged parents to maintain full awareness of where their children are and whether they are safe.

The SCPCR pledged to work with the government to strengthen child-protection systems and prevent future incidents.

Director of Social Welfare Camelia Doreen Lyngwa said her department was notified of the case in August. Most of the children come from disadvantaged backgrounds, making adequate housing difficult. Parents had hoped the children would receive better education outside Meghalaya and assumed they would be placed in secure, nurturing environments.

However, the district child protection officer in Chikkaballapur discovered the facility was substandard and lacked registration with the Karnataka government, triggering serious concerns.

Lyngwa credited technology with facilitating coordination and ensuring the children's smooth return to Meghalaya.