Mysuru: If a woman above the age of 18 requires rehabilitation, she will be sent to the relief centre run by the social welfare department. And only those below 18 years will be taken care of at the state home for girls run by the women and child welfare department. What if a woman aged 25 years with a 9-month-old baby is rescued from begging by the roadside?The quasi-judicial body Child Welfare Committee (CWC) is struggling to find an answer to this dilemma in the city after a 25-year-old, breastfeeding woman from Rajasthan was rescued with her 9-month-old baby while begging. The law does not allow officials to send her to the relief centre, separating the baby from her. However, the state home can accommodate only those below 18 years of age. Now, as a temporary measure, the baby and mother are being taken care of at the state home.According to the CWC member Mahadeva Kote, begging is one of the common challenges that is found on the streets of Mysuru city. “We come across a lot of such incidents. Generally, those who are rescued are sent for rehabilitation according to their age. But in this case, it was a tricky situation,” he said.“During a rescue drive, this woman from Rajasthan was rescued by the authorities. On Wednesday, this case also came for hearing. We cannot separate the baby and mother. At the same time, the law does not permit keeping them together in any of these 2 rehabilitation centres,” he explained.“As a temporary measure, we sent her to the state home for girls, but the rules do not permit such a measure. So, we are trying to find a solution to this challenge. We are trying to create a separate facility to rehabilitate women with children,” he said.
