Home department instructs forensic laboratories to submit reports in rape cases within three weeks.
Minister of state for home Ramesh Bagwe announced in the legislative council on Friday that the government will soon set up a special cell in the police department to tackle the growing incidence of child sexual abuse.
Bagwe was replying to a calling-attention motion on the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl whose corpse was found at the police quarters in Nehru Nagar, Kurla (East), on March 7. The motion was tabled by Sanjay Dutt of the Congress and Neelam Gorhe of the Shiv Sena.
Replying to Dutt’s query on when the probe would be complete, Bagwe said, “The police have arrested Mohammad Ajmeri Abdul Qadar Sheikh and he has been sent to police custody till Saturday. We will soon form a cell in the police department to deal with cases of child sexual abuse.”
Bagwe said the home department had also instructed forensic
laboratories in the state to submit their reports in rape cases within three weeks. “The trials of such cases will be run in camera in fast-track courts and the judges will be women,” he said.
Bagwe said the government had also formed a panel to educate young girls. “It will be an all-woman committee comprising a police inspector, professor, advocate, and doctor,” he said.
Child welfare activists hailed the government’s decision to set up a special cell to tackle sexual offences against minors. “Considering that cases of child sexual abuse are rising, a special cell equipped, like the women’s cell, with social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, lawyers, etc would go a long way in helping the victims,” said a member of the Child Welfare Committee.
“Generally, when child sexual abuse cases are lodged, people forget the mental-health aspect,” said Pooja Taparia, founder and CEO of Arpan, an NGO fighting against child abuse. “The child and the family are left to cope with the situation on their own. If the special cell can give the child some mental support, it would be of great use.”
Taparia said the cell should have professionals skilled in handling trauma and offering short-term counselling as well as long-term therapy.
Kalindi Majumdar, former vice-principal of Nirmala Niketan and a member of the state monitoring committee under the Juvenile Justice Act, believes the special cell could make a difference as parents or relatives of victims will be able to approach the police more easily.
“Often, details of the child and his/her family are given out. Relatives don’t go to the police for fear that the ‘family honour’ may be tarnished. But if this cell keeps confidentiality, it might be an incentive for people to lodge their complaints,” Majumdar said.
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