New Delhi (Sputnik) — Orphans and homeless children in shelter homes will be adopted by Indian security forces and trained as they grow up to serve on the border.
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Experts in child protection and care in India, however, say the decision to join the paramilitary force should be an informed decision of the child and it should not be thrust upon them as mandatory.
Presently, as per government data, there are more than 9,000 child institutions in India and the government has been constrained with space for accommodating the increasing number of homeless children.
Experts, however, caution that any such move should foremost consider the interest of the child.
"The interest and consent of the child must be sought. It should be an informed decision of the child to pursue a career. Every child has his or her own instincts and interests and that must not be ignored," Rita Panicker, Director of Butterfly NGO, one of the foremost agencies in Child Protection in India told Sputnik.
"Along with the choice of joining the forces, the grown-up child should also have the right the quit the services without hassle," she added.
