Mukkam Muslim Orphanage
11°19′19″N 75°56′07″E / 11.321973°N 75.935386°E
| Type | Education |
|---|---|
| Established | 1956 |
| Location | , , |
| Website | www |
Mukkam Muslim Orphanage (MMO) is an educational institution established in 1956 with 22 inmates. Now 28 institutions are functioning under the MMO management. It won the central government’s National Award for Child Welfare in 1982 and 2008.[1][2] Allegations of child trafficking have been made against the organization.
MMO is set in the valley of the Western Ghats, at Mukkam about 35 km north east of Calicut city, Kerala, India.
Child Trafficking Allegation
On May 25, 2014 eight people were arrested in Palakkad for allegedly trafficking 589 children younger than 12. According to RPF, the children who even included infants did not have the required documents. Also, the accused persons revealed that the children were being taken to Mukkam Muslim Orphanage and another Vettathur Anwarul Orphanage of Malappuram. The eight accused from the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal were arrested when they brought the children in two batches in two different trains at Palakkad.[3][4] Two days after the incident 156 of them were sent back to the orphanage after their documents were verified and they were found to be students of the Mukkam Muslim Orphanage Higher Secondary School.[5] Two more persons were arrested later, bringing the people involved in trafficking to ten. Police sources stated that the agents involved in Child trafficking would collect money from parents to cover for transportation costs and from orphanage for the number of children they bring.[6] Locals from Jharkhand who had sent their children along with the agents had mentioned that they paid money to a middleman on the directions of their local madrasa teacher and believed that their children will have a better life in Kerala with education.[7] Further probe revealed that several such orphanages have mushroomed in north Kerala. These organisations have a team in Gulf countries that collects donations under the guise of child welfare. After a few years, the children are sold in the Gulf.[8]
Kerala Government has ruled out the child trafficking angle to this incident and claimed that various agencies misinterpreted the necessary documents resulting in this fiasco.[9] Orphanage authorities claimed that the children who had gone for vacation to their states were returning with neighbouring children who wanted to join their orphanage and that all of them had required documents with filled-in application forms. They said that it is the usual practice for the past ten years.[10]
References
- ^ "Kerala child 'rescue' sets off political row". The Telegraph (Calcutta). June 2, 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "A Muslim Orphanage student clears IAS exam from Kerala". www.khabrein.info. Khabrein. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ MG, Radhakrishnan (27 May 2014). "Child trafficking: "Orphanage industry" under cloud". India Today. Thiruvananthapuram. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "8 Held in Connection with 'Trafficking' of Kids". New Indian Express. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
{{cite news}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ Mushthari, Jabir (28 May 2014). "156 children sent back to orphanage". The Hindu. Kozhikode. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "One More Arrested for 'Trafficking' of Children". New Indian Express. 7 June 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
{{cite news}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ Reghukumar, Neethu (2 June 2014). "Kerala: Over 400 children rescued in suspected child trafficking case". IBNLive. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "Kerala's 'orphan industry' sells kids in the Gulf". rediff.com. June 4, 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- ^ Reghukumar, Neethu (5 June 2014). "Kerala government rules out human trafficking in state orphanages". IBNLive. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Mushthari, Jabir (27 May 2014). "A practice for 10 years, says orphanage". The Hindu. Kozhikode. Retrieved 8 June 2014.