The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recently held a meeting in New Delhi to assess how well states and Union Territories are implementing the model guidelines for supporting child victims under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. This meeting was attended by representatives from 24 states and Union Territories at Vigyan Bhawan, following a Supreme Court order mandating the adoption of these guidelines.
These guidelines were developed as a result of court directives in the cases "We the Women of India v. Union of India" and "Bachpan Bachao Andolan v. Union of India." The aim is to provide emotional and psychological support to child victims during legal proceedings. The Supreme Court, in its order dated July 30, 2024, instructed all states and Union Territories to implement these guidelines and provide updates on their progress to the NCPCR.
During the meeting, NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo stressed the importance of offering timely and structured support to child victims through designated support persons. He emphasized that having a support person is crucial for the rehabilitation of child victims of sexual abuse. Kanoongo also pointed out the need for each state to have a sufficient number of support persons, based on the number of child abuse cases pending in the system.
Kanoongo urged states to ensure transparency and effective monitoring by uploading the details of these support persons on the NCPCR's "POCSO Tracking Portal." This would help track the progress and availability of these individuals in different regions.
Other NCPCR members, including Preeti Bharadwaj Dalal and Divya Gupta, reiterated the need for consistent and comprehensive implementation of the guidelines across all districts. They emphasized that all states must take proactive steps to make sure that child victims receive the necessary emotional and psychological help throughout the legal process.
The session also featured an open discussion where state representatives shared their suggestions for improving the implementation of the guidelines. This exchange of ideas was aimed at refining the process to ensure better support for child victims during the often lengthy legal procedures.
NCPCR’s review of the POCSO guidelines stresses the importance of emotional and psychological support for child victims and urges states to ensure these will effectively help vulnerable children across the country. By enabling a stronger, transparent, and effective support system, the implementation of these much-needed guidelines can turn into substantial improvements for child victims.
(This article is a reworked version of a PTI feed)
