Parents advised to spend time with children

Vijayawada: Member secretary of Andhra Pradesh State Legal Services Authority Majji Babita said here on Sunday that there should be better coordination between the judiciary, police and the child welfare department to punish the accused in the POCSO cases as early as possible.

She was addressing the valedictory of the two-day state-level consultation on ‘Victims’ support under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012’ jointly organised by the AP State Legal Services Authority and Child Rights Advocacy Foundation. She expressed concern over the growing sexual harassment on both the literates and illiterates by cyber criminals. Criminal cases should be filed against the criminals by collecting enough evidence in time and bring them to book.

Babita said that everyone should take responsibility to protect children. Awareness camps on the POCSO Act and sexual harassment of children should be held by coordinating all departments. Justice should be done to the children in case of sexual harassments. Most of the time it is the minors who are becoming targets of cyber criminals, she said.

She appealed to the parents to spend more time with their children explaining them about the cyber crimes, cheating and various types of sexual crimes. AP Child Rights Commission Kesali Appa Rao underlined the importance of better coordination between various department to prevent sexual harassment of children.

Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory joint director D Venkateswarlu said that importance evidence is mobile in 70 per cent of sexual harassment cases. He warned people not to respond messages of strangers. Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory assistant director P Phanibhushan, administrative officer H Amara Lingeswara Rao, director of Child Rights Advocacy Foundation Dr P Francis Tambi, Assistant Commissioner of Police Dr Sravanti Roy, Child Welfare Committee chairperson G Pramila Rani, Disha DSP Sairam, One Stop Centre officer Sailaja, POCSO public prosecutors, legal aid defense counsels from various districts and others were present.