orphanage

children, human trafficking, India, orphanage

India: Using biometrics to protect vulnerable children

Aadhaar goes to orphanages, joins war on child trafficking (Bangalore Mirror)

Aadhaar’s comprehensive database that comprises iris (retina scan) and biometric (fingerprint) information is hoped to aid enforcement agencies find missing children, curb human trafficking and check illegal adoptions. Aadhaar enrolments have begun in Karnataka for children in child care institutes run by the state government’s Department of Women and Child Development. Nearly 4,000 kids and youngsters are in care of state homes and will get identity cards.

A couple of notes:

Aadhaar means “foundation.” An alternate name for the Aadhaar Project is the UID Project for Universal ID.

In the quoted passage above, “child care institutes” are orphanages rather than the child care centers some readers may be more familiar with.

child abuse, India, orphanage

India: State of Haryana tightens ID management surrounding orphanages and Child Care Institutions

Now, biometric system for orphanage inmates (Times of India)

In a bid to overhaul the monitoring mechanism in orphanages, the Haryana government is planning to introduce biometric system for inmates and child mapping in every district.

In Gurgaon, over a dozen orphanages and child homes are operating and many of these are yet to be registered as per the recent guidelines issued by the state government. After the shocking Apna Ghar incident, all the orphanages and Child Care Institutions (CCI) have been directed to get registered in the prescribed format before June 30.

The Apna Ghar shelter house incident was a shocking abuse of vulnerable people and I’d be curious to read more about how biometric technologies are to be applied to making sure similar abuses don’t occur.