By Mehak Dhanai
Dehradun, 1 Dec: The third session of day-3 of the Crime Literature Festival, led by Jaya Baluni, ASP, and Geeta Khanna, Chairperson of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, shed light on the critical issue of child rights and protection in India. Geeta Khanna emphasised that child rights are a relatively new concept in India with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act introduced in 2012. This act covers the survival, protection, development, and participation of children.
Geeta Khanna highlighted that the POCSO Act is a child-neutral act, where anyone under 18 is considered a child. The act provides for special courts with speedy trials and does not recognise consensual sex between minors or minors and adults. She shared a disturbing case where a minor girl was raped by five boys for six days, and despite the court trials, the accused were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Jaya Baluni shared her experiences from her recent posting in Pauri Garhwal, where she noted that there were no direct complaints, but leads were received from hospitals where minor girls were reported to be pregnant. She emphasised the need for child awareness workshops on sexual assault and POCSO awareness, which the police and Mahila Mangal Dal are actively working on.
Both, Geeta Khanna and Jaya Baluni stressed the importance of schools having a child welfare committee and complaint boxes, and actively listening to what children say. They also highlighted the alarming fact that 27% of abusers are biologically connected to the victims, and 73% are known cases where fathers and brothers are the perpetrators.
The workshop was a stark reminder of the need for collective action to protect child rights and prevent sexual abuse. As Geeta Khanna emphasised, it is essential for society to come together to help children, and for schools to take proactive measures to ensure child safety and well-being.
(Mehak Dhanai is a 3rd year student of Journalism and Mass Communication, Graphic Era Hill University)
