In a first of its kind for the state of Nagaland, a Child Friendly Court named as Children Zone in the District Court Complex, Wokha was inaugurated today by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, Chief Justice of the Guahati High Court, Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh and Patron-in-Chief Nagaland SLSA in line with the formal inauguration programme of the District Court Complex held in Wokha.
Initiated by the Nagaland State Legal Services Authority (NSLSA), the Children Zone is an extension of free legal services scheme for children under National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), with the aim to set up child friendly court room for Children. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act mandates that child-friendly environment be set up to make the criminal justice system less traumatic for the child survivor and their family.
According to the statistics, the case of girl child abuse in the state in 2019 was 0.72 % and in 2020 the cases has risen to 4.93% in Nagaland. The establishment of Child Friendly Zone in all the Districts in Nagaland remains vital in safeguarding the interest and wellbeing of child in every stage of judicial process, incorporating child friendly procedures.
Children are produced at the court multiple times for recording statements at the call of the magistrate on a case, they have to sit in the Courtroom in the presence of the police, lawyers, and accused people in most of the cases including POCSO cases.
When a victim of sexual assault has to openly sit in the Courtroom, his/her right to confidentiality is violated. Everybody who enters and leaves the Courtroom can see the child and identify them as victims of sexual abuse. Waiting space outside the courts draws attention to the child and it is a natural assumption that children outside the Special Courts are either victims or related to the victim of a POCSO offence.
Court trails and sessions are daunting and stressful, not only for the accused but the staffs and their families too. Even for adults court dates would put lots of strain, especially if the victim or the accused has an infant which has to be taken care of. In such cases children can be taken care of, in The Child Friendly Zone which would have crèche facility not only for the victims or the accuse children but also the children of the staffs of the office.
The Children Zone is aimed to resolve cases related to crime against children in a friendly environment with a top-class with state-of-art provisions facility as per the guide lines provided in the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act), 2012 where the child can feel at ease to reveal the ordeal without any hesitation. The child friendly zone will provide a child a safe and stress free environment for the court to record statement and to improve the efficiency of the welfare services for a girl child and speedy disposal of child sexual abuse cases.
A child victim along with their family/support person, can access the court through an entrance so that they are not compelled to see the accused persons, the police etc., while they enter the court, and to maintain their privacy.
A waiting room for victims and their families, which has basic facilities such as comfortable seating, a T.V, musical instruments, age appropriate toys and storybooks for children, comic books, drinking water facility and a toilet facility, would go a long way in ensuring the mental and physical comfort of the child so that they can testify calmly and with peace of mind, to ensure that the ends of justice are met.
With state-of-art amenities, the Child Friendly Zone will have all the required facilities in order to make the child feel comfortable and at ease to speak to the Judge and the advocates.
During the inauguration, Executive Chairman NSLSA and Gauhati High Court Judge Justice Songkhupchung Serto and Justice S Hukato Swu, Law and Justice Department, Principal Secretary, R Ramakrishnan, IAS and Secretary Nino Iralu, NJS among others.
(DIPR)
