NCPCR reviews states' POCSO guidelines implementation

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) held a meeting in New Delhi to review the implementation status of its model guidelines to ensure emotional and psychological support for child victims during legal proceedings under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

Representatives from 24 states and Union Territories attended the conclave at Vigyan Bhawan which was organised in response to a Supreme Court order mandating the adoption of these Guidelines for Support Persons, according to an official statement.

The guidelines, formulated following the court's directive in the "We the Women of India v. Union of India" and "Bachpan Bachao Andolan v. Union of India" cases, aim to ensure emotional and psychological support for child victims during legal proceedings.

The Supreme Court, in its order dated 30 July, 2024, instructed all states and Union Territories to implement these guidelines and update the NCPCR on their progress.

NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo, in his keynote address, stressed the importance of providing timely and structured support to child victims of sexual abuse through empanelled support persons.

Kanoongo highlighted that the presence of a Support Person is critical to the rehabilitation process, and emphasised the need for each state to maintain a sufficient number of support persons proportional to the number of pending child abuse cases.

He also urged states to upload the details of these individuals on the NCPCR's "POCSO Tracking Portal" to ensure transparency and effective monitoring.

Other NCPCR members, including Preeti Bharadwaj Dalal and Divya Gupta, reiterated the need for comprehensive implementation of the guidelines across all districts.

The session also included an open discussion, where state representatives shared suggestions on how to improve the guidelines' implementation.