"Separate homes for POCSO victims necessary"
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 04 2019: Women Action Development (WAD) organised a one day consultation on 'Voluntary review of implementation of POCSO Act 2012 & Juvenile Justice Act 2015' at Classic Hotel today.

District Child Protection Officer, I/W, Social Welfare Department Sarda Moirangthem, Senior Advocate RK Sumitra, Juvenile Justice Board member Chinglemba, FSL mobile unit, I/E L Bilashini and Women Sub Inspector Asem Olivia were present at the function.

Journalist Chitra Ahanthem moderated the consultation programme.

Separate homes for POCSO victims necessary

DCPO, I/W Sarda conveyed that she has come across around 40 cases of POCSO from 2014 and added that she also witnessed different children among whom many had trauma from their incidents.

When a POCSO case is registered, the case will be produced by Juvenile police unit before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).

Following this, the CWC will direct the DCPO to take up necessary steps as per POCSO guidelines including to verify and collect a report from the victim's home, within three days, whether the victim will be safe at his/her residence or a shelter is necessary for the victim.

The statement of the victim is taken after the officer concerned has made the environment or the surrounding child friendly and comfortable for the victim and that the best interest of the child comes first as per the POCSO Act.

If a home/shelter is necessary for the victim, then a report is submitted along with a report for counselling, she informed.

Different children are residing at the open shelter including trafficking victim, child labour victim and even orphans.

For POCSO victim, counselling is very necessary and important, she said and added that when victims of different cases are staying together it becomes tough to handle the POCSO victims as the number of staff at open shelters are low.

As such, there is a need to open/set up separate homes for POCSO victims as well as mentally handicapped children who are also victims of POCSO, she added.

It is common that the child victims, as a result of prolonged trial process, are produced before the Court reportedly and questioned repeatedly which lead to re-trauma and re-victimisation.

So, a child friendly Court is also the need of the hour to protect the victims from trauma.

For now, the trail process is conducted at Session Court acting as a Special Court for POCSO.

However, as the other cases are being trialed at the said Court, POCSO cases are dragged for a long time, Sarda added.

As per the Act, POCSO trail cases should be wrapped up within a year with the submission of related reports and evidence report within a month, she informed.