Health Minister K.K Shylaja has said that Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases should be registered in a timely manner, and that the process should be speeded up.
She was speaking at the inauguration of the Kavacham (shield) scheme, which is part of the Janamaitri Suraksha project, here on Monday. A survey will be conducted in association with the Department of Social Security and the police under the scheme. The first phase of the survey will be conducted in the Kannur range.
The Minister said there were fewer cases registered in Kerala, and that it has been decided to set up as many as 28 POCSO courts in the State. In addition, the department should keep track of the handling of such cases. Ms. Shylaja maintained that even questioning of children should be scientific. According to a recent survey conducted by the Department of Social Justice, 11,00,432 children in the State are eligible for special care, she said.
The school-centred child doctor scheme will be further expanded to address problems facing children, the Minister added.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, after inaugurating the scheme, said it was unfortunate that a good percentage of cases of violence against children happened at home.
He added that violence against children required serious scrutiny of the home situation. The Chief Minister was of the view that when the project is jointly implemented by the Social Justice Department and the police, it could be implemented more effectively.
“There are several people who need special protection, including women and the elderly, and the Government looks at it with special consideration,” he said, adding that they should be made part of the project.
The Chief Minister also released a short film titled Handbook of Ranges published by K. Sethuraman, Range DIG.
