Maharashtra to appoint ‘support persons' for victims of child sexual abuse
The government has also decided to implement the model guidelines framed by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to regulate the 'support person' for the child sexual abuse victims. These steps come in the wake of the incident at a top city school where a 16-year-old male student was allegedly sexually taken advantage of by a female teacher for three months in the school and for a year and a quarter after her alleged dismissal.
In its verdict of October 2023, the Supreme Court had said that the state was obliged to provide 'support persons' as per the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2023 to child victims of sexual offences, emphasising that the appointment of these persons was not optional.
The court also said that the option of availability of a support person and the right to claim their assistance should be made known to the victim's parents but the need for such persons should not be left to the discretion of a victim's parents in all cases. While delivering the verdict, it also directed the NCPCR to frame guidelines, which were shared with all the states in August last year.
According to the NCPCR guidelines, the trained support persons are expected to protect the victims from external pressure, provide a witness protection scheme, accompany them during statement recording, investigation, medical examination or trial and help them access facilities like education.
'A support person will have to be assigned by a child welfare committee in order to render assistance to the victim throughout the process of investigation and trial or the person who is assisting the victim during the trial under the POCSO Act,' said a senior official from the women and child development department.
State woman and child development minister Aditi Tatkare said, 'They will play a crucial role in helping children to cope with the legal system and provide them with the support they require to effectively testify against their offenders.'
Who is eligible to be appointed as a support person? Any person who possesses a postgraduate degree in social work, sociology, psychology or child development or a graduate with a minimum of three years' experience in child education and development/ protection issues is eligible. Those actively engaged in the realm of child rights or child protection or officials associated with a children's home or shelter home and responsible for the custody of the children are also eligible to apply for the post.
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