CCPCR wants special police station for kids

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 24 

The Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR) is going to recommend setting up of a special police station for children in the city to the Chandigarh Administration. The decision was taken in a meeting of multi-stakeholders on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) held today.

The meeting was chaired by Harjinder Kaur, Chairperson, CCPCR, along with members, Pramod Sharma and Prof Nishtha Jaswal. 

Harjinder Kaur said, “The commission has observed that there is a delay in action when cases are reported under the POCSO Act. In fact, there are not enough supporting staff, including counsellors, to handle victims. A central place is required to handle such cases. The proposal for the same will be sent to the police and the Administration.”  

Personnel from various government departments, including District Legal Service Authority, Department of Health, Women and Child Helpline, police, Child Welfare Committee and the DCPU attended the meeting.  The meeting highlighted various issues pertaining to the protection of the children in city. The CCPCR chairperson said, “It is disheartening to see low conviction rate in POCSO cases. The commission is soon planning to strategise annual calendar with a focus on POCSO and child related issues.”  Another issue that was raised during the meeting was the lack of coordination amongst various departments.