India orders inspection of Mother Teresa homes over baby selling
NEW DELHI: India has ordered an immediate inspection of all childcare homes run by a religious order founded by Mother Teresa after a nun was arrested over an alleged adoption racket.
Illegal adoption is big business in India, with more than 100,000 children reported missing each year, the government said.
The police this month arrested the nun and a worker at one of the Missionaries of Charity order's homes in Ranchi,Jharkhand state, over allegations that at least five infants were sold for up to thousands of dollars.
The scandal blew up after local child welfare authorities informed police about a newborn missing from the home, which is meant to care for unwed pregnant women and mothers in distress.
In a statement on Monday, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said all state governments have been asked "to get childcare homes run by Missionaries of Charity all over the country inspected immediately".
She said childcare institutions should be registered and linked to the central adoption authority within the next month.
In December, India's Supreme Court had ordered mandatory registration of all childcare institutions and bringing orphanages under the central adoption system.
In the aftermath of the adoption scandal, the Missionaries of Charity had said it would carefully look into the Jharkhand case and ensure the incident is never repeated. - AFP
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