Kerala to allot more funds for early disposal of POCSO cases

The Kerala state government will allot more funds for the expedition of cases related to Protection of Children from Sexual offences (POCSO) courts. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a press statement that necessary funds will be made available to establish more special courts for POCSO cases.

A state-level committee will also be formed to usher in a slew of reforms for child welfare. The committee, which will be headed by Chief Secretary Tom Jose, has further been asked to facilitate sexuality education in schools.

Additionally, it was also decided to set up counselling facilities for students at every school at a meeting held between Pinarayi Vijayan and secretaries of various state departments on Tuesday. This is aimed at helping students come forward if they face sexual abuse at home or otherwise. The counsellors will trained in law and awareness. The CM noted that children who have multiple complaints should be given special attention.

The Chief Minister also reiterated the need for sexuality education in schools, saying there were a lot of misconceptions about sexuality in society.  

In the meeting held between secretaries of various state departments, it was also decided that the prohibition of the sale of drugs near school premises would be implemented more effectively by the police and Excise Departments. They also decided to strengthen the cyber forensic laboratory system to prevent and investigate such crimes.

The Chief Minister also pointed out that there are many homes where only a mother and daughters live and suggested that such families be identified and given protection. The police and Social Justice Departments have been tasked to address this issue.

The Department of Education has been directed to educate the parents on crime against children, and teacher-parent meetings are to be utilised for this purpose.

The committee tasked with the implementation of the above measures will be headed by the state Chief Secretary and will also include the secretaries of the Departments of Home, Education, Health, Social Justice, Law, and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Development as members.