Chandigarh, May 22
The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), U.T. Chandigarh organized a full-day workshop on the theme “Surakshit Bharat, Surakshit Bhavishya” under the “Jagriti” scheme for SHOs, Investigating Officers and Inspectors of Chandigarh Police dealing with POCSO cases.
The workshop focused on effective implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and strengthening coordination among stakeholders involved in child protection and justice delivery.
During the inaugural session, Arun Kumar Agrawal, Member Secretary, State Legal Services Authority, U.T. Chandigarh, apprised police officials about various legal awareness and victim support schemes being implemented by SLSA and DLSA.
Dr. Jyoti Rattan, Professor, Department of Law, Panjab University, delivered an expert session on the provisions, procedures and legal aspects of the POCSO Act.
Rajeshwar Singh, Law Officer, State Legal Services Authority, Chandigarh, explained the Victim Compensation Scheme and the benefits available to victims under the scheme.
Dr. Gurpreet Kaur, Chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, Chandigarh, highlighted the role of the Child Welfare Committee and Child Care Institutions in ensuring rehabilitation, care and protection of children in POCSO cases.
In the concluding session, Dr. Yashika, Presiding Officer, POCSO Court, along with Maninder Kaur, Public Prosecutor, interacted with police officials and discussed practical challenges faced during investigation and trial of POCSO cases.
Sunil Kumar, Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, U.T. Chandigarh and Shiv Kumar Sharma, Program Coordinator, remained present throughout the workshop.
Addressing the participants, Sunil Kumar stated that the objective of the workshop was to sensitize police officials on child protection laws and strengthen inter-departmental coordination among police, Child Welfare Committee, Legal Services Authorities and courts for effective implementation of the POCSO Act.
The workshop was well received by the participants and aimed at building a coordinated and child-sensitive response system to ensure safety, protection and justice for children.
