[ Tongam Rina ]
ITANAGAR, Jan 19: Another case of child abuse has been reported leading to arrest of a person.
The eight-year-old survivor is currently undergoing treatment at the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences.
Based on a complaint by a citizen on 18 January, a team from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and Childline, Itanagar visited the child who was already undergoing treatment in the hospital.
The CWC said that the child is so brutalized that she was unable to speak.
Later, the CWC lodged a complaint at the Nirjuli police station leading to the arrest of one Hage Atung, a state government employee.
According to SI Techi Nega of Nirjuli police station, the police picked up Hage Atung on Friday afternoon.
Terming the assault an inhuman torture, the CWC said that there are also visible signs of sexual assault on the little child.
Officer Techi Nega said that based on the medical report, case may be registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act as well.
According to the statement of the father to the CWC, the child was with the sister-in-law of the accused as a domestic worker. Later, without the knowledge of the father, the child was sent to live in Nirjuli with the family of Hage Atung.
This is latest in the series of child labour and abuse cases in the state. While many cases go unreported, according to records, the Child Welfare Committee of Itanagar receives about 20 complaints of child rights violations a month.
Childline, a national helpline for children in need of care and protection, dealt with 157 cases, including 91 of child labour, from the city between January 2016 and July 2017. In all, Childline recorded 104 cases of child labour and seven of sexual abuse from across Arunachal Pradesh in this period.
