In order to mark the 10th anniversary of implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012, the Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Justice (SCCJJ) has joined hands with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to organise a two-day national consultation on the Act, starting from Saturday.
Chief Justice of India (CJ) Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachud; Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani; Chairperson of SCJJC, Justice S. Ravindra Bhat; Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts; along with Cynthia McCaffery, Representative of UNICEF India, are expected to grace the occasion.
The consultation will feature participation of key stakeholders from the Government of India, law enforcement agencies, senior members of the judiciary, state governments and civil society.
It is the seventh such consultation under the aegis of the Supreme Court Committee on various child protection issues and brings to conclusion, a series of similar state-level consultations across the country.
The session will be followed by technical sessions covering various facets of POCSO Act, ranging from prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration of survivors to child-friendly courts, investigation procedures and capacity building to sharing of good practices, among others.
The event will culminate on December 11, with reflections from the Government of India, the Supreme Court, the National Council for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and UNICEF.